Can You Hear Me
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Woo Bin has finally figured it all out, but then a foreign woman is dragged into his life by Jan Di. She's friends with Ji Hoo, who is overly protective due to her disability. But Woo Bin is still interested. Can he find a common balance with his friend and the woman? R&R
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: When I get bored, things just sort of come out. I recently watched Boys Over Flowers and this is what came out.

A nightclub. It's where he always ended up. Every evening since the beginning of college nearly seven years ago he had gone to a nightclub every night. He used to be flanked by his best friend, but since he had gotten a girlfriend then flown to Sweden, he was flying solo. When he was in high school, that best friend and two others had been his constant companions. Now he was always with one of his guards.

The last seven years had been a task. He had graduated from high school and college and had gone on to take over a significant portion of his father's company. He had worked hard to make sure the company had gone on the straight and narrow. He didn't want to be embarrassed anymore so he worked his ass off.

Now the crew was all together again. F4 reunited, as the sign said in front of their booth. But it just wasn't F4 this time. It was their girlfriends/wives as well. The leader of their group, Gu Jun Pyo, had just returned from his honeymoon with his wife Geum Jan Di. After a long and arduous relationship, the two had finally exchanged vows at a small ceremony in Hawaii. Jan Di was a new resident at one of the best hospitals in Seoul and Jun Pyo ran Shinhwa Group.

His best friend, So Yi Jeong, had done what everyone thought he should have done in the beginning, but he had been too scarred and too late. So he had left to make his dreams even bigger and when he returned, he had finally done the most important thing. He told the girl he loved her. What made it even funnier was she was Jan Di's best friend. Chu Ga Eul was now cemented in the F4 club.

With those two pretty much taken, it left the other half slightly miserable. Ji Hoo had taken over his grandfather's clinic and was a well respected doctor in the medical field. He and Jan Di worked together quite a bit. He was even a popular guest at medical conferences. It was amazing he even had time for his friends anymore.

That left Woo Bin alone more often. Since he had been with his three best friends pretty much all of his life, it was harder on him. He had his father's company he worked at, but he missed his friends. So he had instituted that once a week they had to meet up and discuss what was going on.

They sat in their normal booth as the music pulsed around them. Only this time no extra girls were invited. It wasn't a good time as it had been. Three out of the four were assembled and enjoying their drinks as they waited for the fourth. A few girls would walk by and smile but were waved off immediately. They had really matured in the last few years. Not that Ji Hoo wasn't already mature.

"Sorry, sorry!"

They all looked up as Jan Di followed a haggard and upset Jun Pyo into the booth. She had her hair tied back from her face in a really chic style, and that meant she probably had come from work. Not much had changed in the last seven years. She was still klutzy and late.

She opened her mouth to say something but then turned around. She held up one finger then and ran back down the stairs. Jun Pyo sighed and flopped down in a chair. He wasn't the least bit surprised, more like annoyed.

A minute later she returned dragging another woman behind her. They were talking rapidly and heatedly, and Jan Di had her by the hand. It looked to be a tug of war of sorts.

"They're not going to bite!" Jan Di finally argued back. She succeeded in tugging her friend all the way into the booth. "This is Choi Erica, but we call her Eri at the hospital. She's one of the best cardiac surgeons there."

"Erica is a foreign name. Where are you from?" Yi Jeong asked.

"Her mother is French and her dad Korean." Again Jan Di spoke. Eri just looked at everyone. Well, Yi Jeong and Woo Bin and Ga Eul mainly.

Ji Hoo tapped his hand on the table. Instantly Eri's gaze jumped to him. His hands started to move. "Yi Jeong asked where you are from." He watched her hands answer. "She says she's from Cannes originally but moved to Seoul when she was fourteen. She went to medical school in the US and returned four months ago when a cardiac position opened."

Jan Di jumped in as soon as she realized everyone had bewildered expressions. "Eri is hearing impaired. She wears a hearing aid and can speak, but since it's so loud in here, she uses sign language and lip reading. I'm not as adept at it as Ji Hoo and a couple of other doctors."

The other doctor at the table focused on flying hangs. "She asked your names."

"I'm Chu Ga Eul," the other woman said with a warm smile. Eri motioned with her hands again, this time asking for clarification. "Ga Eul. This is my boyfriend So Yi Jeong, and the big guy beside him is Song Woo Bin. It's nice to meet you."

Eri signed from her mouth and mouthed "thank you". When her hand came down, So Yi Jeong grabbed her hand. Her eyes met his.

"Is that clay under your nails?" he asked, a hint of a smile curling his lips.

Ji Hoo translated when she signed. "Her mother is a French sculptor, Francesca DeArgint."

His eyes turned to saucers. "I didn't know Francesca DeArgint had a daughter. I knew she had a son whose pots rival my own, but never a daughter."

Eri sighed then pulled her hearing aid out and put it in a container. She vacated her seat and headed for the stairs. Woo Bin hopped up seconds before Ji Hoo and followed after. Women had a hard time in this particular club, and he was certain Eri would have it worse because she was hearing impaired. The guys would think she was snubbing them and a few could get violent.

She turned sharply when he touched the small of her back, but settled when she realized it was him. She walked through the crowd with ease, her long hair brushing his hand. He itched to twirl it around his fingers but foreigners typically didn't like being touched without permission.

He watched her walk up to the bar and pull the barkeep over. He had to get close enough for her to talk loud enough. He smiled and turned away only to return with two bottles of water and a long neck of something imported. Woo Bin slapped a bill down on the table but she took it and pressed it against his chest. She wasn't going to accept his offer. He didn't know whether to be offended or impressed.

When they got back to the table, she tossed a bottle at Ji Hoo then sat back down. Ji Hoo smiled and did some sign in return. She inclined her head before pulling out a set of headphones and sitting back.

"So what's been going on recently?" Yi Jeong asked as the excitement settled down.

"I finally got the head of my school to allow for pottery classes for little kids. It isn't much, but it's something to pique their interest in the arts," Ga Eul told. There was a little bounce when she spoke. Her boyfriend smiled the brightest one he had in his arsenal.

"We finally closed the big investment we got from one of our overseas associates," Jun Pyo claimed. "My father was very happy since it was a friend of his. He said if I wasn't already married he'd ask me to consider his youngest daughter."

"Grandpa's clinic is thriving again. More and more young people are coming. I think that was one of his wishes," Ji Hoo stated as he swirled his water bottle.

"No, more young people come around because you're so handsome," Jan Di replied.

That started an argument between the married couple. Jun Pyo always made a big deal when Jan Di said someone else was handsome. It didn't matter if it was his friends or not. She could no way say any other guy looked handsome.

While that argument was going on, Woo Bin looked across the table. Eri was gone, eyes half glazed as whatever was playing through the ear buds was more interesting. Every now and then when someone hit the table she'd look up to see who it was, but other than that she didn't care.

He tilted his head as he wondered what was playing through her mind. She didn't seem to care that she was in a group of people. She was just going to do her own thing anyway. What kind of woman was she?

He was surprised when she jerked and reached for her pocket. She pulled out her phone and read whatever was on the screen. Hopping up, she grabbed her jacket, said something to Ji Hoo, and was gone.

"She's the cardiac surgeon on call at the hospital. Something must have happened," Jan Di said with an apologetic smile.

Woo Bin turned to Ji Hoo. "How do you know so much about her? How can you sign?"

"She taught me when she first arrived. We live next door to each other and frequently eat dinner together," his friend responded. "I still live in the apartments by the hospital, at least for now. My lease ends in a few months. I'll move back home then."

"So are you the only one who can converse with her? Or can Jan Di as well?" Ga Eul asked, glancing between the two fo them.

"I can only catch a few words when she signs. She mainly talks to me," Jan Di explained.

Everyone was interested in Ji Hoo and Jan Di's mutual friend that they forgot to be talking about their own lives. Woo Bin sat back and listened to everything that flowed from their mouths. He picked up that Ji Hoo wasn't the least bit interested in Eri other than as a colleague. He seemed to protect her more than anything.

As they all disappeared for the evening, Woo Bin wondered if he would ever see the interesting woman ever again.


	2. Chapter 2

Eri walked into her house and kicked off her shoes. Her next order of business was to walk straight to her room and collapse immediately on the bed. Screw changing clothes. She was almost asleep when she remembered to pull her hearing aid out. Then she rolled over and was out.

Being a cardiovascular surgeon, cardiac was what she called it, was hard. She was always on call since there was only one other surgeon on hand at the time. It was one of the reasons she had been asked to work after only a couple of years of residency. Normally she would have been told to wait before doing a solo surgery but pediatrics was a small field.

Her college professors had told her since she was hearing impaired it was going to be a lot harder for her to get a position as a surgeon. She had set about helping others learn sign language so they could help her when they were in the operating room. During medical school, it had been a long way going. Not everyone was very adept or wanted to learn to help their fellow student. Johns Hopkins was a very prestigious medical school so everyone thought it was beneath them. Only a few agreed to work with her. But those who did became as successful as she had.

She had come to visit her father in Korean when she heard about a position in pediatrics. After talking to her father and brother who had come for an art exhibition, she had applied for the job even though she lacked the experience. The hospital was in such desperate need they hired her right away. Her mother had come from France with her belongings and helped her move into her apartment. Francesco had decided to prolong his stay and move in with her until she was settled. So far all he'd done was lounge around the house and go to a studio.

Her first day at the hospital she met Geum Jan Di and Yoon Ji Hoo. Jan Di had immediately taken a liking to her and asked her to come out with her. In the beginning she'd had to decline because she had wanted to learn as much as she could before being thrust into another surgery. During that time, the other doctors and nurses had been told about her supposed disability. Many of them had taken to sign language because there were a few deaf patients. Others had been just like the students in medical school, only out for themselves.

One night she had been helping one of the other doctors on his sign language when Ji Hoo had come in the break room. He had sat down and immediately picked up on the little tidbits she was teaching. Even though he was at the hospital, he spent his off days and evenings at the clinic he inherited from his grandfather. She had gone to help him a couple of times when he was short staffed. And since he lived next door, something they had figured out on a rainy night, they spent some extra time together when they were both off. Most of it included cooking. Ji Hoo loved her French cuisines. Francesco even agreed that Ji Hoo was a good guy, and he rarely did that. Her brother was as hardnosed as they came, but he had a protective streak as long as his body.

Somewhere in the middle of her dream, a light flashed. Opening her eyes, Eri looked around the room. The light censors were going off. Someone was at the door. Since she couldn't hear without her hearing aids, her mother had installed light censors in her apartment so she would know when someone was at the door or calling the house phone. It was red if someone was at the door and blue for the phone. Right now it was red.

She got up and walked to the door, hearing aid forgotten. Hitting the video button, she looked to see who was outside, wrenching the door open once she was satisfied. Ji Hoo smiled and held up a bag. His mouth moved but she missed whatever he said. Frowning, he turned her head and stuck his finger in her ear, a bad habit he had learned from Francesco. He pointed to his ear. Making a face as she blew air between her teeth, she turned and walked back to her room.

When she was back out in the living room, she sat on the floor between the table and couch and waited. Ji Hoo was such a gentleman he wouldn't let her do anything. So all she was left with doing was rubbing sleep from her eyes. Finally he set a plate in front of her then a glass of juice.

"I stopped by your favorite sushi place on the way here. Dr. Kim said you were let off early since you worked all night last night and up until this morning," he said.

She nodded as she accepted the chopsticks from him. "One of my younger patients went into cardiac arrest right before surgery. We had to revive him before we could do anything. That set the surgery back a few hours. Then I had rounds. Dr. Kim was gracious enough to take my afternoon shift."

"What time did you get home?"

She glanced at her phone. "A little over two hours ago."

He looked contrite. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Shaking her head, she grabbed a piece of California roll. "Food is always a good thing to wake up to."

He smiled and they ate in relative silence for a good while. Eri was regretting getting up because her eyes felt gritty and raw. When she was done, she tried to stand to take her plate to the sink, but once again Ji Hoo took over. As reprimand, she smacked him with the chopstick stand. He smiled but did as he wished anyway. She was just going to give him the pass code.

As he cleaned, Eri got up and went to the fridge. Ji Hoo thought she was going to stick her hands in the dishwater so he was prepared to shrug her off. He was pleasantly surprised when she went to the notepad stuck on the fridge. She scribbled something then ripped it off and went back to the couch.

When he was done, Ji Hoo joined her on the couch, lifting her head so he could sit then putting it back down on his leg. She sighed as they settled into relative comfort. This was what it had been like since they had become friends. Ji Hoo would spend half the evening at her place until Francesco returned home. Then he would say his pleasantries and go next door. The process would start all over again the following day.

"Hoo?" she said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Hmm?" he answered. He was being typical; answering her even though she used a nickname instead of calling him Oppa.

"Why did Jan Di drag me out to the club when I asked her not to?" She still couldn't get over it. She really didn't like going out, especially when she was on call. Sometimes it made her feel inferior.

"She just wants you to broaden your conversation field. You only associate with doctors, nurses, and CNAs, and you rarely go out even when we invite you. I guess she wanted you to like our friends as much as we do."

She huffed out a breath, completely not convinced. As usual, Ji Hoo's fingers were skilled at getting what he wanted. It was usually her calming down and relaxing. Sometimes his fingers got tangled because of the wild curls her French heritage had given her.

"Will you play for me?" she whispered half asleep.

His fingers stilled momentarily before continuing. "I don't want to sound rude, but can you even hear it?"

"I know the cords. If I watch your fingers, I'll know what song you're playing."

"Maybe one day."

She settled back on the couch and let him do what he wished, and that was helping her get to sleep. She felt him pull her hearing aids from her ears and set them on the coffee table. He would undoubtedly put them back in their case when he could get up.

After a while she felt weightless. That weightlessness ended in softness, and she knew she was back in her bed. There was snap and her hearing aids were back in their case.

"Hoo." She grabbed his arm and held out the crinkled piece of paper she was surprised she still had. "It's the pass code. Quit ringing the doorbell. I hate the lights."

She felt him rub her head and then he was gone. Familiar silence settled around her and she was able to finally sink into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Woo Bin walked up to the apartment building and looked up. Ji Hoo lived on the fifth floor. He would have to buzz up to be let in. How he hated all of this. Why couldn't his friend just live in his regular house? He understood that it was closer to the hospital but it was more expensive than his house. And he didn't have to be buzzed in.

He pressed the button then waited. He was certain Ji Hoo didn't get many visitors because he had steadfastly refused to give out his address. This was more his style and speed. He liked being alone way more than the rest of them did.

Finally he was buzzed up. Taking the elevator was a hassle since he was anxious to see his friend's place. If he could have run up the five flights of stairs, he would have, but nothing was sexy about being sweaty and out of breath with no one to see.

He stepped out and headed down the hall. Taking a left, he began to search for his friend's door. As the numbers got bigger, he was getting closer and closer. Until a door swung open. He was met with head of dark curly hair that was almost as tall as he was. Confused, he looked at the person for a long while before the door opened once again.

"Francesco, you forgot…" It was Eri. She looked around the guy's shoulder when she noticed they were alone. "Oh. Woo Bin."

The other guy turned around and looked at her with a wicked look. "You know this guy?"

"He's friends with Jan and Hoo. I met him the other night." She handed him something then shoved him out the door. "Go. Find Yi Jeong and annoy him. I know you've been dying to meet him."

Francesco looked hurt. "I thought we were hanging out together today. You do this to your brother?"

"Get out. You annoy me when you get clingy. I'm off today and don't want to listen to you."

French wasn't his specialty, but Woo Bin understood every bit of the argument. The other man was shoved away from the door. They stared at the closed object with a mixture of shock and being really impressed. Francesco turned to find the new guy staring.

"You're one of Ji Hoo's friends? You don't look it."

Snubbed, Woo Bin watched the foreigner disappear down the hallway. He stared at the closed door for a moment then went next door and rang the doorbell. He wondered if his friend was even home. Ji Hoo had a habit of not being home even though he said he would, or come in late. He was the most reclusive member of F4, something that hadn't changed since childhood.

The door swung open, and Ji Hoo's red head popped out. Like usual, his face was one of concern but it brightened a little when he realized it was his friend. He motioned him in the returned to whatever he was doing.

Woo Bin followed him inside. He was pretty certain no one had stepped foot into his house before. It was all pristine and clean, until he saw the cat scamper across the room. It climbed up the counter until it was just above Ji Hoo's face. He raised his face until they touched noses, shaking his head from side to side slightly.

"Why are you here?" he asked suddenly. He looked over when he didn't get an answer. "I never remembered inviting you."

"We always just show up at each other's houses. It's been that way since we were kids. It's not unusual." He looked around the room once again. "It's not bad. It really suits you. But why move here?"

"After Grandpa died, the house was just a little bit too big. I lived alone in that house for years, but once finding grandpa again and living with him, I didn't want to live in that big house for a while. Living here isn't too bad. It's just me and JaeJae."

There was a ringing beep before the door opened. Woo Bin was surprised to see Eri just barge right on in Ji Hoo's place. The man on the other hand didn't seem shocked in the least bit. He wiped his hands on a towel and stepped out of the kitchen.

"I told you to wait, that I'd bring it to you like I always do," he said. "And why aren't you wearing shoes?"

Eri took JaeJae and walked over to the couch where she sat down immediately. Woo Bin looked at Ji Hoo to see what he was going to do, but there was only a smile on his face as he went back to work. So Woo Bin walked over to the couch and unceremoniously stuck his fingers in her ears. She slapped at him then went back to giving the cat loves.

"She's not wearing her hearing aids," he said to his friend.

"I figured that. Usually she answers me. But this is normal too. Sometimes she doesn't wear them for days. It's really annoying at times."

Woo Bin looked down at the woman as lay listlessly on the couch, fingers running down the cat's ears. He wanted to say something but knew she couldn't hear; besides he wasn't sure she even liked him.

Across the room, Ji Hoo watched Woo Bin as his dumbfounded friend didn't know what to do. Usually girls were throwing themselves at him. He was Casanova and could get any woman he wanted. He never stayed with one girl long, often having many at once. It's what made him and Yi Jeong inseparable until the latter found Ga Eul.

But now here was this woman sitting in front of him, a woman Ji Hoo was certain Woo Bin found attractive, and she wasn't doing anything. That had to have captured his interest more than if she was throwing herself at him. Woo Bin wasn't used to being ignored like that.

He finished what he was making and set the table like it was nothing. He made sure he set it for three because his oldest friend would be staying. That was just the way it was. When everything was set, he walked over and took his cat back. Eri looked up at him and he motioned with his head for the bathroom. She made a face but went anyway.

"Is she always like that?" Woo Bin asked

"No. Something must have happened at work yesterday. They staggered our days. Jan Di was off two days ago, I was off yesterday, and she was today. We didn't have dinner together last night so I don't know what's going on. Don't eat all the kimchi. She'll kill you."

Woo Bin smiled at Ji Hoo's thoughtfulness. He was always taking care of others and never really paying attention to himself. He took a seat at the table and waited patiently as Ji Hoo put the cat in his room and Eri washed up. She joined them a minute later, sliding in the empty seat beside Woo Bin. Ji Hoo tapped his ears but she shook her head and dug into the food.

Ji Hoo cursed slightly and got a portion before it was all gone. Woo Bin couldn't help but laugh at the way this dinner was going. Two friends and one outsider were having a very quiet dinner, but who was who was hard to tell.

"What happened at the hospital yesterday?" Ji Hoo asked, making it a point to get her attention. She waved her hand in dismissal. "No, don't dismiss this. You've been acting weird since last evening."

Woo Bin noticed she was slightly antsy. He figured she had taken her hearing aids out after her brother had left and had come over. He knew Ji Hoo well and knew he wasn't going to give it up without exhausting everything in his arsenal.

He watched Eri closely, casting small glances at Ji Hoo during the uncomfortable silence. His friend had quit talking and was eating agitatedly, and on the other hand the woman was jumpy. He wanted to reach out but was certain that would be worse than leaving it alone.

JaeJae bounded into the room and hopped right up on Eri's lap. She turned on her purr machine and started rubbing all along Eri's neck and chin. Eri didn't seem to mind as she continued eating, picking the cat up when she was done. She took her bowls to the sink then sank back down on the couch with the cat.

Annoyed, Ji Hoo got up and started to do the dishes. Woo Bin wondered if this was a normal day for the two of them, the fussing and fighting. And Ji Hoo didn't fight with just anyone so this must be serious.

Woo Bin sat down on the couch and watched the cat and woman. It was quite comical. JaeJae was a typical cat. You could love on her for about five seconds before she bit you. She was doing that now, but Eri seemed to have figured out her weak spot.

Curious, he touched her foot gently. Eri looked up at him expectantly. Suddenly he was at a loss. He looked at his hands, flipping them over and over. Eri put JaeJae on the ground then sat up. She took his hands in hers and folded down all his fingers but one. Then she moved them in an alternating fashion towards his chest.

"Sign," she said. He realized that her voice was muted, like her tongue had been glued to the bottom of her mouth.

For the next couple of hours they sat on the couch learning sign language. He didn't realize how easy it was or how fast he picked up on it. He could ask the simple questions like how was your day, how are you, what do you want to do, and things like that. He wondered how long it would take for him to get on Ji Hoo's level of expertise.

Glancing at the clock, he realized it was later than he thought. He looked at Ji Hoo and realized the two had their own little world they lived in. It was like he was just a visitor. There was no need for him it seemed. It was the first time he felt that way.

Ji Hoo gently grabbed Eri's foot, forcing her attention to him. "It's time for you to head home. It's late." He looked at his friend. "You too. We have to work in the morning."

Eri got up and headed for the door. JaeJae followed her like a dog, only stopping when Ji Hoo scooped her up. He grabbed Eri gently by the back of the head and turned her to look at him.

"You're going to tell me what's bothering you," he whispered.

She shook her head then yanked open the door. Ji Hoo cradled the cat as he stared at the closed entrance and shook his head. Woo Bin excused himself almost as soon as she left. Ji Hoo was going to be in a foul mood after being snubbed again.

As he passed by her front door, he was tempted to knock on it or ring the doorbell. Then he remembered that she had been shaken up by something. His interruption would only be worse for her. He walked right on by, casting a brief glance when he got to the elevator.


	4. Chapter 4

"Eri!" The woman in question turned around just as Jan Di bounded up to her. "What are you doing for lunch? Go with me and Jun Pyo to eat."

Shaking her head, she replied, "I can't. I have to work rounds and don't know when I'll be done. I was just going to eat here at some point."

Jan Di made a face. "That can't be tasty." Eri shrugged and went back to looking at her charts. "Next time you have to eat with us."

"Fine, fine. Just get out of here and go take care of your patients."

Eri didn't mind hanging out with Jan Di, but her husband was a handful. She didn't even know how Ji Hoo put up with him all these years, and felt sorry that Jan Di put up with it. Her brother wasn't even as bad as that. He had his moments of stupidity but at least he knew colloquialisms.

She took her clipboard and headed towards the elevator. One of her most recent patients was undergoing a few tests to see if he was viable for a heart transplant and she wanted to check up on him. He was only eight and having a hard time with it, so his family thought it would be good for him to get to know his doctor. They had formed a close bond and he told her everything.

She stepped off on Pediatrics and was greeted by the nastiest stares. There was no telling what rumor was going around now so she just ignored them. Tempted to take one hearing aid out, she shrugged it off. She needed to be able to hear at least some of what was being said.

She walked to the nurses' station and asked for her patient's file. The one nurse who was quite decent, Han Bo Na, handed it to her. Eri had to smile. She was one of the nurses in the entire hospital who had asked to learn sign language. If they had the same lunch, they would often meet and work on it. She was one of the only women who didn't care that she was friends with Yoon Ji Hoo.

"How is Cho Do Si?" she asked as she read over everything in front of her.

"He's doing better today. He said his fever went down and he can eat. We're waiting on the blood tests to come back and the CAT scan, but other than that he seems to be better," Bo Na explained. "His mom said he tore into some soup this afternoon."

Eri smiled, happy that her patient was starting to rebound enough that he could have his surgery. They already had a viable donor, they just had to wait.

She scribbled her signature and gave Bo Na one last smile before going to her next patient's room. She did a quick check up on the comatose child, making sure the heart was beating normally and not swollen, then went on again. She only had three patients so she tended to help in other areas as well.

"Dr. Choi?"

She turned around and hit the wall immediately. She shut down her facial expression into the cold, heartless wench everyone called her. Casually she reached up and pulled out one hearing aid then the other. Silence surrounded her, comforting her instantly.

He walked up to her and started talking instantly. She stared over his shoulder as his mouth moved, trying not to read what he was saying. He had an arrogant smirk, one she would never forget.

She thought she had left this behind in France. She thought he would have remained there, but she was wrong. He had followed her from Cannes all the way to Korea. He was the reason Francesco had decided to move in with her. Now that she had seen his face, she was going to have to move again.

The man turned as someone said something. Ji Hoo came into her field of vision and the guy backed off. He said something else, his face getting angry, and then they were alone. Ji Hoo watched the man walk off before looking at her again. Slowly she put her hearing aids back in her ears.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, not trusting her voice. "Who was he?" She shook her head, not wanting to say too much more.

Just like she expected he got angry. "How can I help you if you won't tell me anything?" She stared over his shoulder long enough for him to look away. "All right. Don't tell me. Are you off at the same time I am?"

When she didn't answer, he turned to the nurses' station and talked to Bo Na. She checked the schedule first then answered, glancing over his shoulder in the process. When he came back, he was planning.

"We get off an hour apart. Wait for me. I'll walk you home." He grabbed her face gently and forced her to look him in the eye. Every woman near them swooned. "Wait for me. Don't go out alone." He rubbed her cheeks a couple of times with his thumbs then went back to work.

Eri watched him disappear down the hallway. If she told him the real reason, he was going to become super protective and possibly tell her brother. Francesco would either make her move in with her dad or back to France. She didn't want to do that.

Time seemed to creep by. Eri found herself watching over her shoulder as she went around every corner. It was the first time in a very long time she was truly frightened. Not since med school had this happened.

She had clocked out and was putting on her coat when an emergency case came through the ER doors. Ji Hoo was the doctor still clocked in. He cast her an apologetic smile as he sped after the gurney.

She didn't want to wait around because if she did, she would get pulled into another doctor's case. She sent a quick text to Ji Hoo and headed home. He could get mad all he wanted. She was tired and ready to go home.

Nighttime was always loud and obnoxious with loud music, traffic, and people everywhere. She took her hearing aids out and put her headphones in. If she was going to feel music, it might as well be music she liked. She had always preferred rock music because she could feel everything in her ears even if she couldn't hear it.

She was halfway home when she felt someone fall into step behind her. She knew whoever it was wasn't friendly so she quickened her pace. The worst part was she lived in a lightly populated area. No one would be out just walking. At that moment, she wished she had waited for Ji Hoo.

Eri was a block and a half away from home when she was hit from behind. She hit the guardrail with her chin and held on. Her hands were ripped from the metal post as she was jerked back. A fist slammed into her face, making her see stars. She opened her eyes briefly just to confirm her suspicions before she was thrown to the ground and kicked severely.

She felt the pavement shake a bit, like it was under pressure from an earthquake. She opened her eyes again to see a gigantic man shove her attacker away from her. He swung and his leather clad fist connected with his face.

Woo Bin had been heading to see Ji Hoo when he saw Eri on the opposite side of the street. He couldn't call out to her because he wasn't certain she could hear over all of the traffic. He was going to catch her when she crossed the street, but he noticed someone was always right behind her. It didn't look like she wanted to be followed either.

He wasn't going to do anything until he saw her get hit. He was still a bit away so he ran but didn't make it in time to stop the assault. He had to watch as she was thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly before he even got there. When he did, he delivered one of his hardest punches and a threat.

It was too dark for him to talk to her, so Woo Bin picked her up as gently as he could and started back to her house. Her head fell in the crook of her neck and her warm breath tickled his skin. She didn't move as he walked swiftly down the sidewalk.

He nudged her when he got to the doors of her building. Painfully she pressed the code to get in. As light engulfed them, he was given a good look. Blood was smeared and dripped steadily down her face. Her jaw and eye was turning a nice shade of purple. He couldn't see, but by the way she shifted uncomfortably in his arms, he bet a couple of ribs were either broken or bruised.

They made it to the fifth floor. Woo Bin asked for the pin but remembered she couldn't hear him. She had been wearing earphones when he had seen her. He pulled out his phone and typed something with the hand cradling her head. He showed it to her and waited until she took the device from him. By the time she answered they were at her door and he could just hit the code.

The lights flashed on as soon as they walked in the door. Woo Bin kicked off his shoes and walked into the living room. He set Eri on the couch, pulled her shoes off, and took her belongings. He went to the kitchen and ran a bowl of water then rummaged around through the house until he found a rage and a first aid kit.

When he returned to the living room, Eri was sitting up on the couch. Her tongue was peeking out of the corner of her mouth as she put her hearing aids back in. She looked at him when sat down in front of her. Gently he took her face in his hands and began to wipe at the smeared blood. She sat still, only hissing when he hit an open wound.

"I sent a message to Ji Hoo about what happened," he said. She didn't say anything to him as he continued cleaning. When he was done, he sat back. "Let me see your ribs."

There was something in her eyes, something close to fear, but she lifted her shirt anyway. He couldn't help the look of shock that came over his face as he saw the mottle colored skin. But that wasn't what had his mouth dropping. There was a deep scar that ran from one side of her ribcage to the other. It was white and raised and jagged.

"Where…" He started to talk but no words came to him.

"I was attacked in medical school," she said.

He didn't say anything else as he dabbed at the cuts along her abdomen. He went into her bedroom when he was done to search for some clothes. He came back with a fresh t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. He helped her stand and change clothes. When he was satisfied she was somewhat comfortable, he went into the kitchen to make something easy on the stomach.

Not too long after the broth was done, there was a beep and the front door flew open. Ji Hoo came flying in. His light brown hair was mussed as if he had run the entire way. Woo Bin stood and vacated his spot beside Eri.

"She took her hearing aids out right before dinner," he said. "Don't touch her face. She said it hurts."

Ji Hoo took his advice and sat beside her without touching her. He lifted his hands but stopped instantly. "Are you all right?" She answered with a slight nod that was almost pathetic. "Who did this? Was it that jerk from the hospital?"

Woo Bin frowned. "Jerk from the hospital?"

"Some guy had her cornered when I walked through pediatrics today. Was it him?" She signed something to him that made him mad. His hands told it as well as his voice that only Woo Bin heard. "No, I won't leave it alone. I asked you to wait on me, that I would walk you home. Now tell me who he is."

The older guy stepped in. "Ji Hoo, now's not the time for that. Do you have any pain killers or something to ease the pain? She can't sleep like that."

His friend looked at him for a long minute, emotions warring with each other. It made sense. They had had a set plan and she had gone against it, but he didn't have to yell at her with his voice or his hands. Ji Hoo finally got up and left the house.

"When's your brother coming home?" he asked. He knew what a shrug meant. "Why don't you stay at Ji Hoo's? I'm sure he'll let you without any problems."

She shook her head then regretted it a minute later. Ji Hoo showed up and shoved some medicine at her. She took it then got up. Both men were a little too antsy as she winced, but she ignored them as she took the medicine and went to her room.

"She won't stay with me," Ji Hoo said, mirroring Woo Bin's thoughts. "Francesco went to Jeju Island for an exhibit. He's going to be gone a week, and Won Jyu is at a medical conference in New Zealand."

Woo Bin nodded. "I can work around my schedule and stay here. She shouldn't have too much to say about it."

"Yes she will, but you can just ignore it. I do when she gets upset for no reason. But it's not a bad idea, considering the next few days I'm telling them to let her off. Dr. Kim will just have to take her patients. She can't go to work like that."

"All right. I'll be back in the morning since I know you won't be leaving this couch tonight."

Woo Bin hated leaving but he knew Eri was in good hands. Ji Hoo wasn't going to let anyone in that door.


	5. Chapter 5

Whatever Ji Hoo had given her the night before had made Eri sleep until the early afternoon of the next day. When she wandered out into the living room, there was a note on the island. Ji Hoo had obviously made food before he had left for work. There was a pot in the fridge when she opened it. That man went out of his way some things.

Not really hungry, she contributed that to the medicine, she returned to her room to fetch her phone. There was a message right away. Sliding her finger across the glass, she unlocked it and scrolled through everything. The message was from an unknown number but the first name in the message was familiar.

 _Eri,_

 _Ji Hoo gave me your number even though I didn't beg for it. He said if you didn't reply right away you were still asleep. I will be over around 1:30. He said if you argue to ignore you so don't argue._

 _Woo Bin_

Suddenly irritated, Eri stalked to her room and made sure she had extra blankets and a mat because she knew Ji Hoo had told him to stay with her. She didn't have an aversion to anyone spending the night, but she barely knew Woo Bin. It was completely different with Ji Hoo since he had seen her at her worst way too many times in the last six months. He was familiar with it. Other than him and Francesco, she didn't talk to many guys. Even her father was excluded from that.

Lights flashed around her. The door bell had rung. Grabbing the container with her hearing aids, she ventured back into the living room just as the door opened. She watched Woo Bin pull a bag in before kicking off his shoes. She walked over and took his bag.

"You'll have to stay in my room. Francesco hates anyone being in his. Anyone else would hate being in his room too. It's piled high with his canvases. You really can't move around," she announced as she went back to her room.

Woo Bin couldn't help the little smile that took over as he watched from the doorway as she stored his case in her closet. The room was big enough that it could have sat in the corner, but Eri was a neat freak of sorts and everything had its place.

She pulled the extra blankets out that she had been fiddling with before he arrived and set them under the windowsill. He wanted to walk in and help her but knew already she would shove him away.

When she was finished, she turned to look at him. He could tell she was fighting with herself about something so he leaned a shoulder against the door frame and waited.

"I need to get a shower but it's going to hurt…" She trailed off after that.

Woo Bin understood though. He walked all the way into the room and held his hands up in front of her face so she could see he meant no harm. He carefully and slowly reached for her ears, pulling her hearing aids out. He held his hand out for their container, to which she pointed at on the nightstand where she had placed it. He put the small devices where they needed to be then returned to her, this time with his hand outstretched.

Eri took it, and Woo Bin led her to the bathroom across the living room. He turned on the shower and let it warm up. The glass partition steamed up immediately, giving him a good indication that it was warm. He turned around and looked down at Eri. For a half Korean woman, she was taller than average. He contributed it to her French heritage. She reached to just under his chin, making her about 1.73 centimeters (for those metrically challenged like myself, that's five foot eight in standard units).

He didn't know how to go about this so he signed the one phrase he knew would get her attention. Can I help you? He watched her face as she translated what was obviously wrong. Finally, she nodded, and he reached for the hem of her shirt.

As gently as he could, he lifted the material over her head. He watched her wince as she lifted her arms. He caught a glimpse of the red, black and blue boot marks covering her ribs. He held her to him as she slipped the sweatpants down her legs. Not once did look down, which surprised him because he had always been naturally curious. But in this instance he couldn't even spare the thought.

Not caring how expensive his clothes were, he stepped into the shower with her. She shied back as the hot water hit her open wounds, and he knew it was painful as her knees began to buckle. He steeled himself, his muscles going rigid. He pressed his front to her back, essentially spooning her as he kept her standing. One hand held the ceramic wall in front of them as the other was wrapped around her waist. Her muscles quaked as pain racked her.

It took some time for her to acclimate, but once he was certain she had quit shaking, he reached for the soap. She didn't cry when she was getting beat up, but the soap on open wounds brought tears to her eyes that she couldn't control. He did his best to wash her off as quickly as he could.

She was shaking again from the pain when he was finally done. Woo Bin shut off the water and grabbed a towel. He wrapped it around her and sat her on the toilet. Ji Hoo hadn't been joking when she said her wounds had been deeper than what they expected. He had been surprised that the steel toed boots hadn't broken her ribs.

Dripping water across the living room floor, Woo Bin hurried to get some dry clothes for both of them. He changed as quickly as he could, bundling his wet clothes and tossing them into the small laundry room on his way back. He pulled Eri into the living room and helped her dry off as much as he could. The wounds on her face were oozing again so he was going to have to bandage them, but he had to get her dried off and warm.

Once she was settled on the couch under a blanket, he grabbed the first aid kit still on the counter. He pulled out the gauze and disinfectant and set to work. Eri didn't fight him as he worked calmly. She watched his face as he took care of her. He was so different than Francesco and Ji Hoo. Her brother would be rough and uncaring whether or not he hurt her, cursing the guy who did this to his little sister. Ji Hoo would talk nonstop until she was annoyed with his voice. He was a doctor through and through. He was very persistent and usually got his way because she just didn't fight with him.

Woo Bin was quiet and calm, reserving the immense strength she knew he had for something more important. Instead of asking out loud, he asked with his eyes. He glanced at her to make sure she wasn't in too much pain before going on to different areas. She thought he should have been a doctor instead of a business man.

The last thing he needed to do was wrap a piece of gauze around her waist to keep the open wounds there from oozing onto the clean t-shirt. With as much taste as he could muster, Woo Bin lifted the shirt and began wrapping the abused ribs tightly.

Her phone lit up on the table. Woo Bin handed it to her as he cleaned up the first aid kit. Ji Hoo had texted her, asking if she was okay. She tossed the phone to the couch and closed her eyes.

Woo Bin watched briefly as she relaxed and wondered how long it had been since she had been so calm. He put the first aid kit away and grabbed his briefcase, taking it to the living room desk and dumping its contents. He had to revise a proposal for a new high rise that was due to be turned in a couple of days later. He hadn't started on it. Now would be a good time since he had a few days away from the office.

"I'm going to die cooped up here," he heard muttered behind him. The couch squeaked a bit as Eri got up.

He turned to watch her disappear into her bedroom then return a minute later. Satisfied that she wasn't hurting too badly, he returned to his work.

"Yoon Ji Hoo, leave me alone!" It was quiet but angry. Woo Bin had never heard her angry. Then again he had only met her three times before the idiot beat her. They'd barely known each other two weeks.

He vacated his work and walked to the kitchen. "What does he want?"

"He's being annoying," she confirmed. She turned on the stovetop with an agitated twist of her wrist. "Hand me the pot in the fridge please."

He did as she asked, sneaking a peak under the lid. "Kimchi stew? I didn't know you liked kimchi stew."

"My dad made it all the time before he moved back to Korea. My mom doesn't know how to make it so I hadn't had it in a few years. I'm used to fancy French food that really irritates me. The portions are too small."

"Are you parents divorced?"

She shook her head as she stirred the contents. "No. My dad has an MBA in medical accounting and pharmaceuticals. That's after he went to medical school. When I was four, I lost my hearing in an automobile accident in Germany. My dad decided to go back to school after our medical bills were so high. He traveled so much my mom just told him to let her know where he was and if he was coming home. She'll visit in a few weeks. Francesco is way too excited."

"Why didn't you get those implants?"

"Cochlear implants? I thought about. My parents gave me the option, but I'd already been through four surgeries to save what hearing I had left. They'd have to do two more surgeries to put in the implants. I don't take anesthesia well so it's hard to put me to sleep, and I'm violent when I wake up from it because I don't know where I'm at. Last time I busted Francesco's nose."

Woo Bin couldn't picture her violent. She was too soft spoken as it was to be violent. Then again they did say that the quiet ones were always the ones to watch out for. But she just didn't seem the type. Even when Jan Di had dragged her into the club, she hadn't yelled or anything. She had sat back and listened to music.

"Hey, if you can't hear with the hearing aids, why do you always have ear buds in?" he questioned.

"I can't hear without them, but that doesn't mean I can't feel anything. I can feel the beat of the music; the drums, base, guitars. I don't have to hear the music to feel it. Its pulse, its life, it's all there."

He smiled at the simplified version of something he had never thought about. He never thought about what it would be like if he lost his hearing, but here was this waif of a woman who had and didn't think anything of it. She had found new ways to hear even without the hearing aids. She could even speak, which was something he had never known hearing impaired people could do. Then again he had never met a hearing impaired person before.

She turned off the stove and pulled the pot off the eye. Woo Bin reached above her head and pulled down two bowls. She chose that moment to look up, and the top of her head collided with his chin. He heard her cry out in pain, and his was instantly forgotten. He turned her around and she immediately buried her face in his shoulder.

"Sorry. I should have told you I was getting bowls," he apologized.

Eri couldn't speak as pain radiated through her teeth and jaw. She hadn't meant to look up at that moment. She'd felt the brush of air as he had reached past her head, but something had buzzed. Hitting her head hurt much more now than it had ever in the past.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded. "Go sit down. I'll bring it over. Where are the spoons?" She held up one finger on her left hand. He understood immediately. "First drawer on the left. Go sit."

She did as he asked, in too much pain to argue. True to his word, he brought it over and once again they sat down to eat together. She had a feeling that this was going to become a habit that neither one would be able to break, nor she wasn't sure if it was a good thing yet.


	6. Chapter 6

Ji Hoo sighed as he stepped off the elevator and walked towards his place. Explaining to the chief of staff had been a hard thing. He had asked for a few days off for Eri, and when the woman asked why, he made it as short an explanation as possible. But the more he talked the more the woman questioned him. He had finally just told her that if she wanted more information to ask the guy who beat the hell out of her pediatric cardiovascular surgeon and slammed the door on the way out.

He had to go to pediatrics to talk to Dr. Kim because he was the one who was going to have to take over Eri's patients until she came back. Bo Na had been present at the time so he went ahead and told her what had happened. The nurse had been legitimately worried and had asked if there was anything she could do. Ji Hoo couldn't tell her no because she was the closest nurse friend Eri had so he said he would figure out a way for her to come over after the swelling had gone down.

He had stopped by the pharmacy to see what would be good for swelling and had been told about an over the counter medicine that would help. He made a list of things he would need from the store and put it on the list.

Every nurse he ran into that day asked where his ever present companion was. He couldn't tell them what had happened because they would judge her even more, so he had just answered that she was taking a few days to rest after falling ill. It wasn't a complete lie but it was better than saying nothing. There was already a rumor mill going about that they were in a relationship, which they were but it wasn't what everyone was thinking.

The day had dragged on too slowly for him. He had texted Eri a couple of times, but when she had finally replied with a snarky comment, he had switched to Woo Bin. His friend had answered his questions briefly, and that made him think he had been coerced by Eri not to answer anything. The woman was very big but she had a mouth on her when she needed it. He had been the victim of it a couple of times, and Francesco had to live with it.

Blessed silence greeted him when he opened the door to his home. Then JaeJae jumped him from the counter, digging her claws into his shoulders for grip. He set his bags down and adjusted the cat before going to change clothes. He unloaded his purchases and put them away before going next door. Punching in the pass code, he said a quiet greeting as he slipped off his shoes. He found Woo Bin at the desk with his papers and other work splayed all over it. He looked around, spotting Eri on the couch with headphones.

"Is she asleep?" he asked.

Woo Bin shook his head. "No. Her messages exploded with nasty comments so she turned her phone off. I loaned her mine so she could listen to music in peace."

"Is everything okay?"

"Now it is. She had some issues this morning but everything is fine now. She's barely eaten though but I think that's just due to her face hurting."

Ji Hoo nodded then went to the couch. He gently shook Eri, waiting until she looked at him. He tapped his ear and she shook her head. So he moved his hands. "I took care of work. Chief Cho wasn't too thrilled that you have to take off this close to your patient's surgery, but I didn't give her a choice. Also I told Nurse Han Bo Na what's going on. She wants to know if she can come over tomorrow." She nodded instead of answering, and Ji Hoo wondered what had happened while he was away.

"Where's her phone?"

Woo Bin tossed it to him from where it was sitting on the desk. He turned it on and waited for it to ding. Instead it vibrated, which made sense. He clicked on her messages and scrolled through, scowling at every nasty and rude comment he saw. The worst one was why was she even at a hospital as a doctor when she should be a patient.

The phone was jerked from his hands. He looked at Eri as she turned it off and put it back on the desk. He watched her walk into her kitchen and pull something from the fridge. She dumped the rest of the kimchi stew he'd made last night into a bowl and warmed it before sitting back on the couch.

"Don't worry too much about it. I asked and she just said they were immature idiots who didn't know how to treat others who were different. Then she turned the phone off and sat on the couch," Woo Bin said. "She's angrier at you than them."

"I'd rather she not be angry at all."

"Well sucks for you then." Red lights flashed around them, and Woo Bin looked up suspiciously. "I will never get used to that since I can hear."

Eri hit the intercom camera and investigated who came to her place. She cast a glare at Ji Hoo then went to open the door. Yi Jeong and Ga Eul stood on the other side. Their faces became serious as soon as they saw her. Eri shoved the door open further and turned to go back in, leaving the decision to stand out in the hallway or come in up to them. Of course they came in, kicking off their shoes immediately.

"Is she okay?" Yi Jeong asked as he cast looks at Eri as she rummaged in the kitchen.

"It looks worse than it actually is," Woo Bin said. "Most of the swelling has gone down. All that's left is the bruising." It wasn't an absolute lie but what Yi Jeong, Ga Eul and Ji Hoo didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

"What happened?" Ga Eul asked.

"It's a long story." He got up and wandered into the kitchen as his friends made themselves at home. Eri looked up at him when he touched her shoulder. "What are you making?"

She pulled out his phone and responded, not going to use her voice since she was around people she didn't know. _"I can't eat it, but everyone else can have ramen. Might as well make extras since I have a feeling there will be two more guests."_

Woo Bin was impressed with her concept of hospitality. Even though she couldn't eat something, she was going to make it for everyone else. He stepped in to help, grabbing the extra spices from the cupboard to her left. She sidestepped and let him in, passing him the spoon so he could stir as she measured.

Yi Jeong and Ji Hoo sat on the couch and watched with rapt fascination as their friend took an active part in making dinner. To their knowledge he had never done that with a woman before. He had always taken them out to dinner instead of making it. He was romantic but that usually went to two or three women at a time, never just one. But he was the most mature out of them.

Lights flashed again. This time Ji Hoo answered the door, allowing Jun Pyo and Jan Di to enter. Jan Di complained a little about there not being any house slippers, but Ji Hoo had never seen Eri wear any even though he begged her to a few times.

Woo Bin took his phone out of Eri's pocket and typed something into his messages. " _You don't have to go out there. I can give everyone the food and you can go to your room."_ He was giving her an out if she wanted it.

She shook her head as she put the lid on the pot. She wasn't going to hide from her other friend, but she wasn't going to put her hearing aids in because she didn't want to answer questions. Woo Bin pushed her out of the way and reached for bowls and chopsticks. Eri grabbed two pot holders from a drawer and picked up the pot.

When she set it in the middle of the table, Jun Pyo immediately lifted the lid and took a big whiff. His mouth started watering but immediately dried up when he glanced up. She didn't have to lip read to understand completely what he said. She was about to get up to get the rest of the kimchi stew when the bowl appeared in front of her. Woo Bin smiled then sat down beside her.

The beat changed, becoming something with more bass guitar and bass drums. She focused on it and making sure she could eat instead of trying to follow conversations. The soup was salty and agitated her split lip but salt healed faster.

Somewhere in the middle, Woo Bin nudged her shoulder. When she looked over, he handed her the black container that always held her hearing aids and motioned for her to put them in. She shook her head and pointed to his phone, indicating she wanted to finish the song. He held his hands up in surrender but pointed to the case afterwards.

After finishing the song and stew (which took three more songs) she finally put the hearing aids back in. Conversation flooded her ears and it took a moment to process what they were saying. They were talking about the festival coming up at their high school and whether or not they should go.

Lights flashed around the room again, but this time they were blue as the phone rang. Eri got up and grabbed the handset but set it on the table. Instead she pushed a button on the screen and someone's face popped up.

"Jeez, Francesco, can't you step away from the screen when you call? No one wants to look up your nose," she scolded as she sat down.

Like everyone else, Francesco focused on her face. "What the hell happened? Did Ji Hoo do that to you?"

As Ji Hoo sat back in shock, Eri turned to her brother. "No, jackass, he didn't do this. He wouldn't hit a woman unlike you. Now what do you want?"

"Dad wants to know if you're eating well and if you need anything. He said he'll bring it over in a couple of days."

"I need batteries and sushi rice. I don't like the kind they have in the stores."

Francesco made a face. "You are so picky. The batteries, are they for your hearing aids?" She nodded. "You also need to make an appointment with an audiologist. Dad has your files. He'll fax them over when you make an appointment. Just let him know. Also Mom will be coming to visit next week. She has a show they just added so she'll be using my room. I'll be home on Saturday to help get ready."

"You talk too much," she said and hung up. She muttered something as she put the phone up. "He's so freaking annoying. Seriously."

"Is he always like that?" Jan Di asked.

"Most of the time. I think all of this took him by surprise." She moved a hand around her face but didn't meet her fellow doctor's eyes. They were going to ask questions if she did.

Yi Jeong did even better. He reached across the table and lifted her chin with his fingertips. His thumb brushed along a particularly nasty bruise. "Does it hurt?"

Woo Bin laughed at the look on her face. Normally any girl would swoon if Yi Jeong did that to them. He had been with her for nearly six years, and Ga Eul still swooned when he did that. Eri, on the other hand, was completely immune to his charms. She just stared at him like he had lost his mind, and in her mind he had.

Her answer was to get up and take her bowl to the sink. Yi Jeong was really shocked. He had put effort into that only to be rebuffed. Woo Bin couldn't help but laugh. Ga Eul immediately comforted her boyfriend.

"Eri," Ji Hoo said after a prolonged silence. "I got the tape from security from pediatrics and the front of the hospital."

Eri stared at him, utter disbelief written all over her battered face. The tension could be cut with a knife as they waited for the other to say something. Finally, she just walked away, going into her room. But she didn't stay. No, in fact she came back with her coat and walked to the door. Shoving her feet into her shoes, she slammed the door open and left.

"Eri!" Woo Bin called. He shot up, grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, shoved his feet into his shoes and went after her.


	7. Chapter 7

Woo Bin followed the upset woman down the sidewalks. No one had gotten that aggravated at Ji Hoo before. He was only doing what he thought best, but he didn't know the full story. Woo Bin wished he didn't know the full story but he did and he was going to do his best to keep it a secret as long as she wished.

He realized she was very good at keeping to the darker areas. Anyone would think he was the one who did that to her face instead of seeing him as a protector. He trailed behind her like one, but people were bound and determined to see him as an abuser.

He followed her into a coffee shop. She went to the back of the store and took the booth against the wall and sat facing the wall. He was impressed. She knew how to avoid ridicule well. He sat with his back to the wall and watched people as they passed. The waiter walked over and nearly dropped his order pad.

"Eri? What the hell?" he said, hands reaching up to take her face.

She caught his wrists and put his hands between them. "Hoon, please don't. Can you just get my usual with a straw please?"

"Yeah, sure. What about you?" He turned to her companion.

"Latte Americano please." Woo Bin waited until Hoon was gone. "How do you know him?"

"His daughter was one of my patients a month ago. She spent time with me, and everyday he would bring me coffee when he came to see her. Since it's just around the corner from the hospital, I stop by regularly. He even knows Hoo's order."

Woo Bin didn't know how in the world she made friends, but by the way Hoon spoke to her, he could tell he really cared for her. He appreciated the way she had taken care of his daughter.

Hoon returned with their order and cast a look at Eri. She asked him politely to not ask, that she would explain at a later date. He understood and gave her a hug before returning to work. Eri sighed and took a very light sip of her drink. She sat back and stared at the wall. Woo Bin wondered what was going through her mind as she stared at nothing in particular.

"Can I ask you something?" He drew her gaze, a weird one that wasn't dark like every other girl he knew. It was a lighter brown than he had ever seen, almost a hazel. "Who was that guy?"

"His name is Georges Pascal. I met him when I first started medical school. He was a friend of Francesco's. At the time, my mother thought of him as a second son," she explained. "To make matters worse, the few years I knew him he was being integrated into the Russian mafia."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but he started doing really stupid stuff for initiations. I quiet hanging out with him because of that and I was getting heavily involved in my residency as well."

"Was he the one who attacked you the first time?" She licked her lip as she nodded. "And nothing was done about it?"

"The French police looked, but they couldn't find him. I didn't care really. I went back to work. I had no idea he would have come here. He has no Asian ancestry."

"Do you want me to look into it?"

She shook her head. "No. I want everyone to leave it alone. It's the reason I'm mad at Hoo. I've handled it before. I don't care what people at work say so I don't mind them when they're talking about me being hearing impaired, but calling me a victim is drawing the line."

He suddenly understood. "You feel like Ji Hoo is calling you a victim by asking for the security tapes. Eri, you are a victim. No man should lay his hands on a woman in violence. Passion and romance are one thing. So is protection, but never in violence. By sitting back and not letting him turn it in to the police, you're letting him get away with assault."

"There's only one problem with your decision, Bin." He was shocked at the sudden nickname but didn't comment. "The security video is only going to show that Georges was at the hospital, in the hospital and that he waited for me outside. There is no video of him actually hitting me."

"No, you have something better." She frowned at him. "You have a witness. I saw it all. How do you think I got there so fast?"

Eri hadn't thought about it really. He'd gotten away one time so she didn't think anything of it. There was really no point in bringing it up nearly two years later so she hadn't done anything. Now Ji Hoo and Woo Bin were asking her to hand it over to the police once again.

Woo Bin reached over and took her hand. Her eyes jumped to his face, and he knew no one had ever touched her like this before. Even Ji Hoo who had known her longer hadn't dared.

"Go with me to the police station. We'll take the footage Ji Hoo collected and show them your face and torso. There's no way they can deny you. If they try, we'll toss out the names of F4." He noticed she didn't understand. "Goo Jun Pyo, Yoon Ji Hoo, So Yi Jeong, and Song Woo Bin. They can't turn us down, not when we throw our family names at them."

She didn't give him an answer, but he knew she was thinking it over. After a little while, they collected their drinks and headed down the street again. This time Woo Bin walked beside her, on the outside of course as all gentlemen do. He couldn't help brushing against her shoulder as he dodged other passersby, but he did it to keep her face hidden as well.

His phone rang in his pocket. He watched Eri glance down as he pulled it out. So she had heard it over the noise of nightlife. He had a message from Ji Hoo.

" _I sent the others home, washed the dishes, and I'm going home. Tell Eri I made the chicken broth she likes and it's in the fridge. I'll stop by after work tomorrow."_

A part of Woo Bin couldn't help but wonder what Ji Hoo thought of Eri. After his failed relationships with Seo Hyun, a woman he had loved for fifteen years, and Jan Di, he didn't really talk to women although they threw themselves at him. Had he ever seen Eri as a woman or just someone he needed to protect? Had he ever dressed her wounds like he had? Ji Hoo was a bit pushy at times, so it made no difference who it was as long as he took care of the person. He had done it countless times with them.

"Ji Hoo went home," he announced as he slid his phone in his pocket.

"He lives next door," she scoffed.

She was right. Ji Hoo would hear when they came back. He paid attention to those he cared about, and Woo Bin and Eri made that list.

He was back to wondering what Ji Hoo had done. Their friends had seen the bruises and cuts marring Eri's face. Yi Jeong had asked and had been rebuffed. Eri hadn't really said anything about the pain since their heads had collided, but anyone could tell it hurt. That was probably the reason she hadn't answered anyone's questions and refused to wear her hearing aids.

Jan Di was going to be the hardest one to convince. A doctor in her own right, she was bound to notice the ring indentations in the bruises. She was going to know that someone had beaten Eri. Even denying it wasn't going to be easy. If they had to pull the rank, Jun Pyo would tell her since she was his wife. Then a whole new sort of hell would be unleashed on him and Ji Hoo.

They made it home in relative silence. When the door finally closed behind them, solitude closed in around them. Eri disappeared in her room, pulling at her ears as she went. Woo Bin smiled then turned to grab a bottle of water. His roommate returned in a tank top and sweats as she pulled her hair up. It was then that he saw the bruising going down the side of her neck. She had kept her hair down in front of the others so no one had noticed it, not even him. Her whole left shoulder was black and blue from where he hit her and shoved her to the ground and kicked her.

A wave of anger crashed through him as he thought about what could have happened. Anywhere near the temple or major muscle could have ended her career as a surgeon. He could barely begin to forgive the beating, but potentially ending her career was something different.

Why hadn't she told anyone was the next question? He had seen everything and saw how much pain she was in, but he hadn't noticed this. Why hadn't he asked?

He had resorted to blaming himself when Eri stepped in front of him. He had to step back to keep from hitting her. She looked up at him, eyes asking the most obvious question. Why are you angry?

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" He ran his hand down her shoulder.

Eri stepped back as goose bumps raced along her skin. The only men who had ever touched her like that were Francesco and her dad. She didn't count Georges because his touch hadn't been caring. Even Ji Hoo had only ever touched her shoulder when he wanted to get her attention.

Woo Bin lost all anger when he saw the shocked and confused look. He pulled his hand back and stared at her, not really knowing what to say but not having the energy to move away. Was his touch that horrible? He couldn't remember if anyone had ever said it was or not, but he was certain no one had ever said no.

Before he could think of an interesting response, her hands moved but this time she spoke. "I'm going to bed. Do you want me to make up your bed or are you going to do it?"

"I'll do it, but it's early. Are you sure you want to go to bed now?"

She just looked at him and he already knew the answer. She wasn't telling him, but walking around had strained her already strained muscles. He followed her into the bedroom and started to unfold his blankets. This was the first time he had stayed at woman's house and slept in the floor.

"I'm going to do a bit of work I didn't get to finish. Will you be all right?" He stood by the door as he spoke because he didn't want anything thrown at his head. Eri didn't seem the type but he had seen a glimpse of her anger. He didn't know what would happen after that.

She shooed him off with both hands. He waited until she had settled down in bed before he flipped off the light and walked out. He settled down at the desk and stared at the pages before grabbing a pen and trying to work. He had to get all of this done or they couldn't start building. But every time he tried, his mind wandered to the woman asleep in the next room, and whether or not she was going to all right or if she was just lying.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I have one French sentence in this chapter. If it's wrong let me know. I'm not a native French speaker so I had to look it up.

He thought he was dreaming, but he was wide awake. So then he thought he was day dreaming but that wasn't true either because he was busy working on paperwork that was due soon. So it took him a while to understand what exactly he heard and where it was coming from.

But once Woo Bin figured that out he wasted no time. Slinging open the door to the bedroom, he assessed the situation quickly and ran over to the bed. Eri was in the throes of a nightmare and didn't look like she would be coming out of it on her own. He sat down and shook her but that only seemed to make it worse.

There was only one other thing to do. He used to do it for Jun Pyo when he had nightmares as a kid. He slid into bed with her and grabbed her from behind. He wrapped his arms around and pulled her to his chest, pressing her face against his neck. She started to fuss and fight, but he held on. French words came in rapid succession and he had a hard time keeping up with it.

He started muttering sweet nothings to pull her out. At first it didn't work; it seemed she was too far gone. But slowly her whimpers of pain faded and the shaking stopped. She settled into his arms, nuzzling her forehead in his neck and getting his skin wet.

There was no reason to move. He was afraid that if he did, she would be sent back into another nightmare. He had work to do but he could finish it the next day. He couldn't in his right mind leave someone who needed him.

"Papa, Ne me quitte pas," she muttered.

Woo Bin closed his eyes as unmitigated agony ripped through his heart. That wasn't the cry of an adult. That was the begging of a little girl who desperately wanted her father. Where was he when the first attack happened? What had he been doing? Had he even been there to see her in the hospital when she'd had surgery to seal together that nasty scar along her ribs?

A few more French sentences came out but none he could translate or catch. He rolled over on to his back and wedged her under his right shoulder. She calmed down and rested against him. He laid there wandering too many things. Was she okay? Should he call Ji Hoo? Should he call her brother? Would her brother kill him for doing this? Sometimes he wished his head would shut up.

Eri had a pounding headache when she woke up the next morning. She knew it was from her face being bashed in but she couldn't help the initial surprise. Her face throbbed something awful and there was no amount of medicine that would cure that.

She turned her head to ease the ache in her neck and was about to settle back down when she realized the hand on her side wasn't her own. Carefully she looked up. Woo Bin was sleeping peacefully beside her. She didn't know what to do or say so she just lay there watching him sleep.

When had he gotten into bed with her? The last time she had seen him was when he had shut off the light and left her to sleep. The only thing that could have happened was something she hadn't had in a very long time.

Every time she'd had a nightmare in the past, Francesco would come in and soothe her. Once he was certain she was calm, he would go warm some milk and come back to sit with her. He'd tell her funny stories until she'd fall asleep again.

But those nightmares turned to terrors when she was in medical school. Nothing he had done had eased them. She spent most of the nights screaming. The doctors called it PTSD and tried to treat it with medicine but those had made her feel lousy and weak. Therapy sessions were expensive and the doctor made her feel like everything had been her fault. She had stopped seeing him after three visits and had decided to chance getting well on her own.

Many nights she stayed up studying to give her mind something to do instead of think. That was how she had become the number one student in her medical school. She was already hated because many of the teachers had already allowed certain differences due to disability that she never claimed. Now she was the number one student with said disability.

Finally, as the days and nights wore on, those terrors were like a passing rain storm. They caused trouble when they cropped up but were distance memories after they let loose their downpours. She was left shaken up for a couple of days but could bounce back like nothing had ever happened. Only her family had ever known.

Now she had drug Ji Hoo and Woo Bin into this sordid tale, Woo Bin more so because he had seen the worst side of this whole thing. She had never been the type to wonder why me, but this time she did because two innocent guys had been drug into the mix of this crappy life. They were willing to help her if she turned the Georges in, but she had already done that once and nothing had come from it. She didn't expect it now.

She looked up at sleeping Woo Bin. His face was perfectly calm even in sleep. In fact she hadn't seen him upset except two nights ago. Instead of memorizing the features, she went a little deeper. Shifting over ever so slightly, she pressed her ear to his chest. She could feel his blood ebb and flow through his views. Not many people could do that, but she had learned to sort through the different pulses to find what she was looking for. And she found it. The thump of his heart was steady and solid, much like his presence. She didn't have to hear it to know. She felt it.

She knew the instant he was awake. His heartbeat shifted as he awoke, becoming slightly erratic until he realized where he was. He spoke. She couldn't hear the words, but they vibrated in his chest. She looked up at him.

Woo Bin sucked in a breath as he realized she was awake. His heart jumped a little as he saw her lying across him. He didn't know what she was doing at first, but he figured it out as her fingers tapped a tempo on his ribs. She was listening to his heart. No, she was feeling his heart.

"How are you feeling?" he asked just to get her attention.

Her fingers stilled a few seconds before she looked up at him. There was no sleep in her eyes and that told him she had been up for a while. Finally he couldn't resist the urge. He ran the hand that was on her side through her hair, fingers entangling in the loose strands.

Eri jumped backwards, but it didn't go as planned. Her legs tangled in the blanket and she fell backwards. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she rolled at just the right time. Her legs came loose and she rolled to her feet. Pain sliced up her sides as she pulled at the bandages but she didn't show it.

Woo Bin was surprised at her athleticism but he knew she had to hurt in some way. He sat up and leaned forward.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he tried hard not to laugh. She tilted her head at him just as the lights flashed. "I will never understand that. Now, are you all right?"

"Woo Bin?" Ji Hoo came through the door and stopped. "What's going on?"

Eri looked between the two then disappeared in her closet. She came out with a baggy t-shirt on and brushed right by Ji Hoo. Without her hearing aids.

Ji Hoo looked back at his friend who was still in the bed. Woo Bin was looking past him into the main part of the house.

"What happened that you're here?" he asked.

"A lot of things that are very hard to explain. But I didn't take advantage of her. Rest assured of that," his friend answered as he swung his feet off the bed. "If she wants to tell you, she will. Don't ask me for any information."

It came out harsher than he meant, but Ji Hoo was that determined. He followed Eri into the main area and waited until she was finished doing whatever it was she had started. Ji Hoo took the time to walk over to her and shoved her case in her hands. Woo Bin made a face at him that clearly told him to cut it out. Regardless of what the boys were doing, Eri put her hearing aids in and adjusted the volume to a comfortable level.

"Hoo," she said suddenly. So suddenly, she startled both of them. "Do you still have the security tapes from the hospital?"

Ji Hoo was shocked. He looked at Woo Bin, but the other man simply cast him a glance. "Yes. Why?"

"I need them."

He didn't ask why, nor did he really need to. He reached into his bag and pulled out two discs. Sliding them over the table to the edge, he watched her closely. He was more concerned now than he had been when she refused to do anything.

Eri stared at those discs for the longest. Old memories surged to the forefront as the past resurfaced once again. The officers at the French police station that took her statement when she was still under heavy morphine. The psychiatrist that didn't believe a word she said. The medicines. Everything came back in such violence it was hard to stand up straight.

"What if they don't believe me again?" She didn't mean for that to come out, but there it was hanging before them.

Woo Bin grabbed the disc and held it up. "Remember what I told you last night. You'll be okay."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ji Hoo asked.

She thought about it for a minute, and then nodded. It would be better if she went with both of them; one as her doctor and the other as her protector. She had no clue what Woo Bin had meant when he said F4, but he had been so adamant that it couldn't be denied.

Ji Hoo said they'd go as soon as he called in saying he'd be late and they had breakfast. Eri didn't want to show everything, but if the officers asked, she would have to.


	9. Chapter 9

The day hadn't gone like anyone had planned. When she had tried to shower, Eri's nose had started bleeding out of nowhere. It had taken longer to get it to stop, and by the time she was done, the guys were ready to go. She had tossed her hair up in a messy bun Europeans were known for and walked out with them.

Even though he was still nervous, Ji Hoo had gotten a cab so she wouldn't have to walk in broad daylight and the guys forced her into the middle. It wasn't an uncomfortable ride; more like a nervous one. She couldn't sit still even with the music thumping in her ears.

She was having second thoughts as they walked up to the police station. Last time she had gone, no one had believed a single word she had said. The family she blamed had too many ties to the mafia for her to be considered a target. Subsequent actions had forced her to handle things on her own. Then staring up at the building, she wanted to run back to her bed, curl up in a ball, and wait until everything passed.

Woo Bin read her mind standing on the sidewalk and took her hand. He squeezed it once and led the way into the station. She had to take her headphones out and put the hearing aids in, so he talked to an officer while she did that. They were asked to wait until a detective could see them. That made everything even worse as the tension built.

Finally, after about an hour of waiting, someone came for them. Ji Hoo asked if they could talk somewhere quietly due to their friend's hearing impairment. Luckily the detective was nice and led them to a small but quiet room. He took out a pin and paper and asked why they were there. He already knew but he had to ask. All he had to do was take one look at Eri's face and he would know something crappy had happened.

Taking a deep breath, Eri started from the beginning and told everything that had happened in medical school up until recently. She relayed that she was hearing impaired and often took her hearing aids out to walk down the noisy street. She explained what had happened in the hospital corridor, to which Ji Hoo handed over the discs. Then she told what she knew of her attack.

When it became a little too rough to remember anything, Woo Bin stepped in and told his side. He explained that he had been walking down the sidewalk on his way to one of their houses when he saw Eri at the crosswalk just before their building. He was going to wait for her to come closer before he said anything, but noticed the man following her looked suspicious. Before he could get to her, the man attacked her, slamming her face into a guardrail and punching and kicking her multiple times. He said he ran to her and delivered one hard punch to send him away. Then he carried her back to her apartment.

The detective asked why she had refused treatment. Eri simply explained that if she had gone, it would have spread even worse rumors about her. Probably that she was easily beaten because she couldn't hear. Ji Hoo stepped in about him being a doctor and how he had treated her wounds at home.

She was asked if he could take pictures of the remaining damage. She nodded and allowed the detective to snap a few pictures of her face. He asked if there was anything more that had happened. Terrified she looked at Woo Bin. He didn't say anything, but he squeezed her hand. Ji Hoo sat on the other side completely lost. He watched her stand up and lift her shirt.

Eri heard the sharp intake from both the detective and Ji Hoo. The white scar that ran along her ribs was pretty evident as it was surrounded by fading bruises of all different colors. She closed her eyes and tuned out everything but the feeling of her heartbeat, willing it to slow down. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the detective give the okay to sit down.

The final thing was the name which Woo Bin had no issues giving. The detective said he would be in touch and escorted them out. As soon as they were outside, Eri started to tremble. Ji Hoo wrapped his arm around her and pulled her under the comfort of his shoulder as Woo Bin hailed a cab.

Once again they settled in the back seat, but this time it was the guys who took her hearing aids out and put the headphones in. They sat in comfortable silence as they rode back to Ji Hoo and Eri's building.

Woo Bin hoped the detective was as good a guy as he seemed. He had been as equally appalled as he had when Eri had first told him the entire history. He had also been surprised when Eri had shown the scar on her abdomen. He had thought Ji Hoo was going to have a heart attack as he looked on, but he kept his cool.

When they arrived home, Ji Hoo had to go immediately to work so he said his goodbyes and left once again. Eri collapsed on the couch and went to sleep. Woo Bin watched her for a few minutes before retrieving a blanket to drape over her and went to the desk he had claimed as his own.

Somewhere down the line, probably around early evening, the red lights in the house flashed. Woo Bin had finally gotten used to them in two days and paused in his work to answer the door. Yi Jeong and Jun Pyo barged right on in without waiting to be invited. Well, Jun Pyo did. Yi Jeong had a little more tact.

"Sorry for intruding," his friend muttered.

Woo Bin shook his head. "It's fine. Don't mess with her. She hasn't slept well. What are you doing here?"

"Your father said you haven't been in the office, so we called Ji Hoo who said you'd been here the last few days. We thought you'd only been here one night we didn't realize you'd been here longer."

"I've only been here one night. I was at Ji Hoo's a couple of weeks ago. The last couple of days I've been here. Jun Pyo, stop. She might not be able to hear, but her sense of touch is just fine."

Jun Pyo quit poking Eri and turned to face his friend. "You seem to be pretty cozy here. Why not take her to your place? There's more space."

"She's used to this place." The lights flashed once again, and Woo Bin dropped his pen. "Seriously? Those are really annoying." He got up and went to the door. Without even bothering to see who was there, he wrenched it open.

He was met with the exact replica of his roommate. Only this person had graying dark hair. She was the same height though, and had the same bone structure. But the dead giveaway was the eyes. Those same weird brown colored eyes stared him up and down as if he were an insect. Another woman who was immune to his charms.

"I must have the wrong place," she muttered in broken Korean.

"Move." He was suddenly shoved from the doorway. "You're not wrong, Mama. Come on in."

That was all the woman needed before she pushed her way in. Eri stepped back, right into Woo Bin as if she were protecting him. She shook her head and stepped out of the entrance. Her mother was speaking in rapid fire French and expecting them to fully understand. Eri followed her mother into the kitchen and forced her to look at her. That was probably the wrong thing to do because she grabbed her face too forcefully and that made the younger woman cry out in pain. All three men jumped.

"Mama, that hurts! Let go!" It was the loudest any of them had ever heard her.

Francesca set off in rapid fire French again. When she finally switched to broken Korean, her hands flew in time with her words. "What happened, baby? Who would bruise your beautiful face? Was it one of these guys? Do I have to kill one?"

Eri grabbed her mother's hands to keep them from flying again. Woo Bin shared an amused look with Yi Jeong. No wonder she was always so calm. Between Francesco and Francesca, she had her hands full.

"Mama," Eri's hands were very controlled, "no one here did this. In fact they had all been helping me."

Francesca took her daughter's hands this time. "Baby," the guys had never heard so many endearments before, "tell me truthfully. Who did this?"

Woo Bin saw the torment etched across Eri's face. She didn't want to tell her mother because she knew the reaction, but if she kept it from her family, it was only going to hurt worse. He stepped up and braced his hands on her shoulders, careful of the long bruise on her left one.

"It's all right." He made sure he said it where she could lip read. "Just tell her. It hurts for your family to know, but it's even worse to keep it for them."

Eri closed her eyes and leaned back ever so slightly into his hands. A solid rock, Song Woo Bin. She pulled her hands from her mother's and held them up in front of her to stop the older woman from speaking.

"Mama, it wasn't these guys who did it. It was Georges."

With it out in the open, Woo Bin wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her fully back against him. The motion wasn't lost on his friends but they wisely remained quiet.

Francesca saw the possessive act and was going to comment on it, but panic took over. Her hands flew furiously as words spewed out of her mouth. Eri ignored most of it and reclaimed her spot on the couch. Unfortunately everyone else had to hear everything. They didn't have the luxury of taking their hearing aids out when they didn't want to listen.

"Mama!" The soft muted cry was louder than anything her mother had spouted in the last ten minutes. Everyone looked at her, slightly impressed that she could manage it. "I don't know how he found me, but he did. I've done everything I did in France. All I can do now is wait for the swelling to go down and my face to go back to normal color, and I'll go back to work. Now the most important question is why you are here five days early?"

The question was successful in changing the topic. Francesca spouted into the tale about how much she missed her daughter and wanted to see her so she came early. Her stay would be longer too. She got on the topic of food and if anyone had eaten. Eri was already livid and her face had to burn with how red it was.

Luckily, Yi Jeong read the situation well and started talking art and pottery. Francesca immediately forgot all about her daughter, Georges, and her trip. Jun Pyo smirked as he followed the very charismatic Yi Jeong out the door. They were going to eat and then undoubtedly to the young man's studio.

Woo Bin watched Eri get up and flip the latch on the front door. Her mother knew the pass code and if she wanted in, she was going to have to knock again. He couldn't hide the little smile that took over at her stubbornness. It made perfect sense why she was able to brush off his advances when they first met. Her mother made it clear that she had to be strong to cover all the wishy washy-ness of her family.

"Why did she have to come so late?" Eri muttered as she looked at the clock. She turned to look at him. "I'm going to bed. You don't have to follow if you're still working."

There she went again, making sure he was comfortable before doing anything. He should be the one doing that. He followed her into the bedroom, turning around almost instantly when she pulled her shirt over her head. She didn't expect him to follow her. He was there when she turned around. She tilted her head in question.

"Are you going to be okay alone tonight?" It was the lamest question he could come up with at the time, but it was the first one to come out. Frowning, she nodded slightly. And that irritated him. "You had a nightmare last night. Will those be frequent?"

She shrugged this time, and he sighed because he knew he wasn't going to get anything out of her. Annoyed, he strode forward and gently took her shoulders in hands. Slowly, he trailed his fingers up her neck, around her ears, and along her cheekbones until her could hold her face in his palms. She didn't pull away from him but she didn't move forward either.

He couldn't tell what she was thinking. Most women would have succumbed to his advances, but he couldn't even remember if he was making advances towards Eri. At that moment he just knew she had irritated him beyond all belief and that just irritated him more.

" _Please stop me."_ He mentally begged. He didn't know if his eyes asked or not, but he knew that if she didn't stop me he was going to start trying to seduce her at the worst possible time.

When the acknowledgement never came, Song Woo Bin did what he was known for; he lowered his head and captured the bruised and busted lips with his own.


	10. Chapter 10

Ji Hoo didn't bother knocking as he punched in the code to Eri's place and walked right on in. It was quiet so he figured one or both were asleep. He kicked off his shoes and dropped off the sandwiches and instant ramen bowls in the kitchen before going in search of his silent friends.

He pushed open the door to Eri's room and stopped his hand on the knob. Woo Bin was tall but he was at an angle so what he was doing could be seen clearly. He was staring down at the small woman before him with an expression Ji Hoo couldn't read. He was certain he had never seen that kind of face on Woo Bin so he must have been feeling something that he couldn't express. He did that sometimes.

He was going to say something when as if in slow motion his friend lowered his head. Woo Bin had never been tentative around a girl he liked, or woman since he had gone after older women in the past. But here he was being a gentle gentleman and essentially asking to be stopped.

Eri didn't stop him however. Ji Hoo remembered something she had told him when they had first met.

" _Ever since my accident I have been in my only little world that only included my family and on occasion one friend. I don't get social cues. I don't understand body language unless someone is signing right in front of me. You could be angry and turn your back on me and I wouldn't know it. I know hatred, jealousy, and annoyance. Those are painted on people's faces every day I see them. As for other things I just don't care about them, romance in particular because no guy wants a girl who can't hear what he wants."_

She had said those very words when he had asked her to dinner when he had first found out she lived next door. They had talked most of the night and well into the morning and he still hadn't found out as much as he wanted. He wasn't interested in her romantically but Francesco hadn't moved in yet and this area didn't have many situations for people with disabilities. He had outright told her he was going to watch out for her until her brother showed up, but he had never stopped.

Even as he watched, he could tell Eri wasn't too sure of herself, but Woo Bin had experience with that. He coaxed her into doing what he wanted but he gave her enough room to get out if she wanted. No knowing social cues made it harder for her to understand.

Backing out, Ji Hoo pulled the door back where it had been and quietly left the house.

"Mama! Papa! Stop it!"

Eri stared across the table at her parents as they argued – in French no less – about her. After a few days of being cooped up in her house, she had finally gone back to work. It had been a relief. Francesca had been hounding Woo Bin who had refused to leave because the detective hadn't found anything on Georges.

It had been push and pull for a few days, and matters weren't made any easier when Ji Hoo stopped by every morning to go with her to work. She was glad for the escape even if it meant going back into another hell hole. The hell hole that was the hospital was easy to navigate. There were only three people she actually associated with so it made it better. The only one she would have to worry about was Jan Di and that was tolerable.

Ji Hoo had tried to change his schedule to match hers as best he could but he also worked at his grandfather's clinic. That made it harder for him to be available. Woo Bin or Yi Jeong would rearrange their schedules to come pick her up if he couldn't walk her home. She had tried to argue about it a few times but the guys were hard when it came to protections.

She found that she enjoyed hanging out with Yi Jeong. He was quiet and kind and smart, and any guy that tried to say something to her was rebuffed instantly. She figured out that Ga Eul had given him permission to act like a playboy when he was with Eri so she wouldn't be attacked. Eri on the other hand didn't know how to take it so most of the time she just went with it. She had been surprised at how quick a study the man was. Within a couple of days, he was able to hold full conversations in sign language. His knowledge almost rivaled Ji Hoo's.

She didn't see much of Jun Pyo, but Woo Bin was a completely different story. He stopped by the hospital once on a particularly busy day and brought lunch her mother had made. She was about to tell him off when every woman in the ward swooned, muttering things she couldn't pick up. Bo Na had shooed her out, saying she could take over her patients until she came back from lunch. Eri was mad and mouthed hateful things at her friend as she was led away.

Woo Bin was seen more and more at the hospital on days he had come to pick her up. Unlike Yi Jeong who texted her where he was, the older guy always walked straight into pediatrics. The kids already loved because he always brought some sort of treat for them. Most days she wanted to kill him for being pushy but murder was still a crime in Korea.

He wasn't as hands on as Ji Hoo or Yi Jeong, but Woo Bin understood that touch was best in small doses. Whenever they were walking down a particularly densely packed sidewalk, he'd place his hand at her back to guide her through the crowd. He stood directly behind her in line so no one from behind would bump her. When they went to the coffee shop to see Hoon, he sat with his back to the wall and watched people, pointing when someone she knew was heading their way.

His kisses had changed too. The first night he had kissed her she didn't know what to do. She'd never had a boyfriend before so she didn't understand romance or anything of the sort. Instead of just fully kissing her on the mouth like he had that night, he had used other places. Her forehead, cheeks, hands, and sometimes shoulders were his favorite places, and he never did it in public. He kept her privacy well.

But that wasn't why she was mad at the moment. She had gotten off work rather earlier than expected and texted everyone. Ji Hoo was pulling a double, Jan Di was off with Jun Pyo, and Francesco was in the middle of firing his latest creations for his newest show he was doing with Francesca. Their father had come home from a conference and Francesca had gone to greet him at the airport.

So Eri had called Yi Jeong when Woo Bin hadn't answered. He had picked her up and they had walked back to her place so she could change clothes. Unfortunately her entire family had been in her living room. She had tried to turn around and go right back outside, but her brother had caught her and said they were going to dinner. Still in her scrubs, she walked back out the door.

Yi Jeong accompanied them, talking passionately about art to Francesca. Eri's father walked beside her talking to her brother. She didn't even have the energy to be upset. Not that it would have mattered. Her father hadn't looked at her since the car accident and that was nearly twenty-one years ago.

"Eri, how dare you talk to us that way?" Francesca scolded.

Rolling her eyes, she looked out the window as he father went on a tangent. She had heard them all before so there was no reason to listen. All he was going to do was tell her that she used her disability too much to get what she wanted. That had been his feelings since he had found out she had lost eighty-five percent of her hearing even after surgeries. He didn't even know about Georges, hadn't known about the first time. They had kept it from him because he would have done this.

He was halfway through it when a hand slammed down on the table, rattling the glassware. Eri looked up to see Woo Bin standing over her shoulder. Yi Jeong took her hand on the other side and smiled. He had texted Woo Bin at the first sign of trouble.

"Who the hell are you?" her father demanded.

Dressed to kill in a sleek black suit, Woo Bin looked like an avenging angel. His face was etched in anger. "How dare you talk to her like that? She's not some puppy you can kick at your leisure. She has feelings too, even if we can't see them on the surface. She probably feels things more deeply than we do because she only has four senses. We take those five for granted and we will never know what it's like. So don't you dare talk to her like that. I don't care who you are."

Yi Jeong pulled Eri to her feet and wrapped her jacket around her shoulders. "If you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving first. I have already taken care of dinner so please eat."

They escorted her out, one on either side. No one said anything as they walked down the sidewalk. They were close to her house so she made a detour. Yi Jeong and Woo Bin followed straight away.

As soon as Hoon saw them, he started making orders. They sat in the same booth as usual, except Yi Jeong sat beside Eri instead of Woo Bin. Hoon brought the three steaming cups to them and nodded before scurrying away. He returned with three muffins.

"We didn't order these," Yi Jeong protested.

Eri placed a hand on his. "He always does this when he knows someone is upset. It's what makes this place popular with the co-eds and anyone going through a breakup or hard time. He makes them by hand so they're always fresh and ready to go."

"What happened?" Hoon asked.

She traced the rim of her cup with her finger. Sighing she wrapped her arms around it and leaned her head against the window. "My father's home."

Hoon's face became an O. "This deserves pie. I'll be right back."

Yi Jeong laughed. "He thinks of everything."

Eri nodded. "He opened this place after his wife passed away. His daughter comes in every day after school and sits at that table," she pointed to the one on the other side of the barista, "and does her homework. Her grandmother picks her up at seven and they go home for dinner."

"You know a lot about him," Woo Bin admonished suspiciously. It was fake by the playful look in his eye.

"She better. She took care of my little girl when we found out she had a heart murmur. She spent a lot of time here explaining it to me when I couldn't be at the hospital," Hoon explained as he set a pie on the table. "I couldn't remember if apple or peach was your favorite so I brought apple."

"It's not my absolute favorite, but I'll eat it if it's sweet."

The barista smiled. "What did your father say this time?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, nor do I care. I tune him out when he starts so it doesn't really matter to me."

Woo Bin knew that was a lie the instant it left her mouth. She may put up this outward appearance for everyone else, but he knew how much a child she was. No matter what she said, he knew whatever her father said ripped extra pieces away from her heart. Even if she didn't listen to her father's words with her ears, she heard it with her heart, and that was worse.

"Next time I see that man, I'll wake him with my big spatula and hope it leaves marks."

They all burst out laughing as Hoon mimicked swatting her father with his big spatula. He played it up a bit longer, until Ji Hoo appeared and he had to go make another special coffee. He smiled at everyone then picked up a fork and took a piece of pie.

"Your brother called me. He said you turned off your phone. Is everything all right?"

He was just being a good friend but Eri couldn't help the agitation that sweltered. Everyone was so damn nosy. "It's nothing I can't handle. Oh, and can I stay at your place tonight? Mine's too crowded."

Ji Hoo looked at Woo Bin and Yi Jeong. They both shrugged but didn't say anything. "Is it that bad?"

Suddenly furious, Eri pushed at Yi Jeong until he moved at out of the booth. All of them were surprised. She made a point of pulling out her hearing aids and shoving the ear buds in. They could hear the music over the clatter of the café. Angry beyond all belief, she left them, going to the one sanctuary she had left that no one could penetrate.


	11. Chapter 11

Blood… blood was everywhere in the OR. It dripped steadily down the side of the table and pooled in the floor. The heart was an amazing thing, but when the arteries that connected it to the rest of the body were severed, it was hard to keep alive.

The monitor beeped annoyingly, signifying the patient's heart had stopped. Two hours of fighting and suturing had come to a fateful end. This was always the hardest part of the job. Losing patients wasn't easy, especially young ones. The worst part was telling the family members.

Eri called the time of death and started to clean up. She didn't have time to change so she walked out into the waiting room. Seeing the expectation on the parents' and sister's faces was heart breaking. Telling them their beloved son was dead due to a car accident was going to unleash all kinds of grief. She knew from experience how bad car accidents could be. She had lived through one but lost her hearing due to glass rupturing her eardrums.

She bowed and waited for the obvious question every parent asked. How was there son? She couldn't look away so she told them everything. When she removed the glass from their son's chest though the heart wasn't pierced, the arteries were severed. Only the glass had been staunching the blood flow. She had tried her best to suture it back together but he had already lost too much blood and had to be revived twice. The third time his heart just gave out.

The piercing wail the mother elicited hurt her ears even with the hearing aids. She looked on in sympathy as the family collapsed in a heap on the floor. Every time she saw this she wondered if her family had been this distraught when she lost her hearing. It wasn't as bad as losing one's life, but it was pretty drastic. It had changed their lives forever, just like this loss had changed this family's.

She said her condolences and returned to clean up. She could feel the blood crusting along her neck from where it spattered when she pulled the glass shard. She took the time to change because she was going to be here all night since she had purposefully changed schedules with Dr. Kim.

Eri caught the elevator to the fifth floor, taking the time to rest her head against the metal box as it rose carelessly through the shaft. She hadn't pulled graveyard shift in such a long time that it was tiring. Her feet killed her more than usual because she had been in the OR.

When she stepped out and rounded the corner to the nurses' station, she caught a glimpse of a man in a well-tailored suit. He could only be one of four people. Steeling herself, she walked up to him and was pleasantly surprised to see Yi Jeong. He turned around and smiled when Bo Na called her name.

"This nice gentleman has been waiting on you for quite some time," she said with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

Eri waved her off. "Since when are you on graveyard?"

"My husband switched his schedule so he could stay with the kids while I work. The pay's better." She held up a clipboard and pointed at Yi Jeong with a quirky look.

The doctor ignored her and turned back to her guest. "Why are you here? No one knew I was working tonight."

Yi Jeong nodded. "You're right. No one knew. Not even your family. That's why we called the hospital to see if you were on duty. Then there was an argument about who was coming. It all resulted in a game of Kai-Bai-Boh. I lost."

She gave him an incredulous look. "You lost a game of Kai-Bai-Boh? You don't play Kai-Bai-Boh."

"How would you know? You've only known me a month." They had a mini staring contest before he broke out in the charming smile. Don Juan was about to come out.

He turned and looked at Bo Na. Eri saw the moment the woman succumbed to him. It was all too easy. "Miss Bo Na," Eri noticed he didn't call her Mrs., "can I please steal my friend for twenty minutes?'

"Take her as long as you need her."

Eri frowned at her only nurse friend as Yi Jeong led her to the break room. He pushed her to the couch and set a plastic bag in front of her. Take out of some kind wafted up, making her mouth water. She didn't ask or wait for permission. She ripped into the food with reckless abandon.

"It's good to see your appetite is back. Ji Hoo and Woo Bin were worried there for a bit. Is it hard finding time to eat when you're busy?" He sat across from her and watched her devour the food.

"No, we have breaks, but I'm a picky eater sometimes. And other times I'm not hungry."

"Not being able to move your mouth could play with some of that too." She nodded as she slurped noodles. Yi Jeong reached over and ran his thumb along her cheek. "Are you going to look into a plastic surgeon?"

He was talking about the scar that ran from the corner of her mouth upwards towards her eye. It wasn't that big, but it was visible. She had thought about it, but it was just like with her ears.

"They'd have to put me under for it since it's on the face, and I don't take anesthesia well. It would be too dangerous."

Yi Jeong let it slide since he figured she had enough experience. "Woo Bin's been worried. He said you haven't answered his calls or messages in a few days."

Finally he got down to the real reason he was here. Eri had ignored everyone's calls and messages, especially those from her family. They had made her the maddest she had ever been at them. Even Francesco hadn't seen home since she'd stormed out of dinner. She had pushed everyone out of her house, including Woo Bin. He hadn't wanted to go but she had forcefully shoved him out. She had gone so far as to change the password to her door. She thought about changing her number but decided against it since she had just memorized it.

"Why have you been ignoring everyone?"

Eri leaned back on the couch and looked at her. "I haven't ignored you."

"That's because I haven't be texting you every day to figure out how you're doing. I figured the night you left us at the café you were at your breaking point. Having your face bashed in, ribs bruised and having to listen to your father complain about how stupid it was to send you here takes a toll on the best of us. I wasn't going to push you like everyone else did."

It was true. Since the night she had shoved him in the floor, he had called, texted or come by. Everyone else had, including his girlfriend. Like he said, she had ignored everyone. She had waited for him to come over but he never had. Now he realized he had just bided his time.

"Did you even lose a game of Kai-Bai-Boh?" she asked.

The Don Juan smile was back. "No. I'm the only one who hasn't hounded you. I figured if I came with food when you were at work, you couldn't turn me away."

"You better be lucky I actually like you, and I don't say that to many people. I can count on both hands who's heard that."

"That must be a sad life."

"Not really. It's peaceful mostly. I don't have to worry about stupid things coming from someone's mouth."

There was a page over the intercom for her to come to the nurses' station. They cleaned up the mess and walked out together. Eri stopped immediately. Bo Na was standing with Georges at the nurses' station. Yi Jeong stopped right beside her, registering the look on her face. There was no look other than complete and utter stone. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Ji Hoo.

Eri pulled her hearing aids out and handed them to Yi Jeong. She walked around the divider and pulled Bo Na away from Georges. She watched him smile, watched his mouth start moving. She read everything he said. She knew his intent.

Yi Jeong knew to stay back even as filth spouted out of the man's mouth. Even if he didn't like it and wanted to knock the man's teeth out, he stayed back.

He was glad he did because the second the man launched himself over the nurses' station, Eri jabbed a needle in his neck and shoved the plunger. He went down like a dead horse, body collapsing on top of the desk. Bo Na shoved his unconscious body to the floor and collapsed in her chair.

There was a commotion down the hall as the doors to the stairs burst open the exact same moment the elevator opened. Their friends spilled into the area followed by Eri's family. They looked down in the floor where Georges lay then back up at the two women and Yi Jeong. The man held his hands up.

"I didn't do it," he confessed. "It was all those two."

"It's just a sedative," Bo Na confirmed as Ji Hoo looked at the unconscious man.

"Erica," her father said. No one missed the dead look she gave him when he stepped in front of her. "What's going on? Who is this man?"

"Excuse me, but I have patients to see." She turned and walked towards one of the rooms, disappearing inside.

The police arrived in a timely fashion and the man that was finally coming to was escorted out. Ji Hoo herded up Eri's family and led them away too as Yi Jeong and Bo Na gave their statements. Ga Eul and Jan Di helped soothe the kids that had been scared as Woo Bin helped clean up the nurses' station.

When Eri emerged from the last room, no one had time to stop Woo Bin. He cornered her in front of the door. She stared at his shoulder, refusing to meet his face. This was about to get ugly.

"Do you know how worried I was?" he demanded, hands clinched in a fist at his sides. "I have spoken to you in days and I have to hear about this from Ji Hoo who heard it from Yi Jeong?"

"Maybe now's not the time to do this," Jan Di said.

There was no point because Eri stepped out from under his shoulder and walked to the nurses' station. She and Bo Na had a brief conversation before she disappeared into the office.

"Scolding her doesn't work, Woo Bin," Yi Jeong admonished gently. "She just thinks you're acting like her dad and shuts down. She'll never look at you like she did before if you continue."

Woo Bin scoffed. "And how was that? Because all I remember is the closed off looks."

"Eri isn't used to having friends. She told me that just tonight. She never had her family to rely on and everyone else just talked about her. You're the only one she let see in a weakened state. That had to shake her up. Remember when I realized I loved Ga Eul and how shaken it made me? It's hard to have someone to rely on all of a sudden that you actually think you can rely on."

"She lost a patient tonight," Bo Na chimed in suddenly. "A teenage boy in a car accident. Shattered glass impaled him, much like it did her. She dealt with the parents."

Woo Bin felt as if he had just been slapped. He didn't have to think where he mind went when she told the parents their child was not coming home. He already knew. Then seeing her family must have been worse than any of them had figured.

"I'll stay here and walk her home later. She's going to have to explain it to her dad at some point, but tonight isn't the night. You're not in the right frame of mind to see her either. Go home, Woo Bin. I'll text you when I drop her off."

He knew it was a good idea, but something nagged at the back of his mind. Nevertheless he headed home.


	12. Chapter 12

It was dark in the house, but that was fine. Eri wasn't going anywhere. A day off from the hospital was much needed. She had been up all night trying to ward off the nightmares that had been plaguing her for two nights. Phone calls had been abandoned, and the batteries to the warning lights had been pulled. She spent most of her time curled up on the couch under her favorite blanket staring at a blank space on the wall.

The detective had come by the day before. They had received the extradition papers to have Georges extradited to France where he would stand trial for aggravated assault and rape. He asked Eri to sign a few papers and asked a few more questions before excusing himself.

Ji Hoo had been by a few times and dropped food off. He would leave it hanging on the door handle outside and slide a note under the door. When she was finished she'd hang the clean dishes outside with a note. It was passive way of showing he still cared. Even Yi Jeong got in on the weirdness. He left a newly spun, fired and painted tea set outside her door. Because she had no other way of contacting him, she'd sent him a quick than you text.

Her wall shook suddenly. Only two reasons would cause that. One would be an earthquake, and the windows weren't rattling for that. The other would be someone banging on her door. Abandoning her warm spot on the couch, she got up to see who was disturbing her. Poking the intercom, she looked to see who was at her door. Then she opened it.

Woo Bin watched the door open. Normally light would bathe his face but it was completely dark in the house. She had even pulled the light out of the entryway. She looked at him briefly then stepped back. He took the cue to enter and kicked off his shoes. He flipped on the lights as he walked through the house, finally entering her bedroom without any trouble.

He rummaged through her closet until he found a pair of jeans that didn't have holes and a long sleeve t-shirt. He grabbed some socks and a hat then went back into the living room. He didn't say anything to her as he pulled at her clothes and changed them for fresh ones. The scarring she had was minimal at beast and it made him happy.

When he was finished redressing her, he pulled her to her feet and led her to the door. He tossed a pair of shoes at her and waited for her to put her feet in them. He shoved her out the door before him then followed after putting on his shoes. He took her hand and led her to the elevator. If he let go, he was certain she would go back to her house and hide. He didn't have the pass code anymore so he wouldn't be able to get in again.

They rode down in silence, Eri's hand tucked inside his jacket pocket. He tugged her out of the building and down the sidewalk, keeping her just inside his shoulder. To her credit, she didn't fight him and kept up pace. She didn't know where they were going and didn't ask. It was like she trusted him even though she had locked herself away for days.

He knew the moment she realized where they were going. She tugged on his hand hard enough that he stopped. He looked down at her and the look on her face seared his heart. Without words, she was begging him not to make her go in there. She had seen who was in the restaurant through the window. He turned ever so slightly and she followed his gaze.

Yi Jeong, Ji Hoo, Jun Pyo, Jan Di, and Ga Eul stood just a little ways down the sidewalk. They all waved or nodded or something then moved forward. Woo Bin leaned down and put her hearing aids in her ears.

"Can you hear me?" he asked. She nodded. "We're not letting you go in there alone. You're a member of F4 now, although I'm not sure we can continue to call it that since there's seven of us. You have us to lean on."

Eri watched all of them, not really sure how to express what she was feeling. Ji Hoo stepped forward and leaned down. She felt his fingers brush across the scar on her face. When he stepped back, he took her right hand and linked it through his left. Woo Bin took the other and they led the way into the restaurant.

Her father was the first to look up, and the look on his face was nothing short of shock. She knew her face was devoid of any emotion because she never really showed emotion with her family. Ji Hoo pulled her seat out for her as Woo Bin took her coat. After she was seated, everyone sat down together.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hyun Won demanded.

Eri clinched her fist under the table. This hadn't been her idea, and he didn't have to treat them with such blatant disrespect. He obviously didn't realize how powerful they were. He wasn't a poor man, but he didn't have as much as them.

Woo Bin's warm hand closed over hers. He flipped it over then smoothed it out, running his fingers over her palm then lacing their fingers together. Comfort seeped into her skin and slowly her muscles unraveled.

"We have called you here today because we think you have the worst attitude towards your daughter we have ever seen, and we've seen plenty," Yi Jeong started. "Now, I'm not sure you know this or not, but Eri was beaten pretty badly a couple of weeks ago. She didn't tell you, and we didn't know why. But seeing your reactions the last couple of times we met you, we understand."

"Do you have any regrets about the car accident that left her hearing impaired?" Ji Hoo put the main question out there right up front.

Hyun Won's face turned red as he sputtered in indignation. "How dare you? You know nothing about this family and you know nothing about that night!"

"Papa!" Over the clattering of plates, glasses and silverware, she heard everything her father had said. "You were driving the car. You were the one yelling at Francesco in the backseat for crying because he wanted to stay at Grand mere's an extra day."

"That's enough."

"No!" She was mad now, madder than she had ever been. "You let go of the wheel to turn around to say something to him. The car swerved into traffic, and you overcorrected!"

"Papa, you haven't spared Eri one look since the doctors told you the majority of her hearing was gone," Francesco muttered. Hyun Won looked at him, and the younger man smoothed his hair back. "I don't remember much about that night, probably because I lost consciousness, but I remember waking up and hearing the doctor tell me that my sister was in surgery. I asked why and you never answered."

"Eri," Francesca reached across the table for a hand, but Eri refused. "Baby, it's not that your father hasn't taken responsibility. He did, but it was hard for all of us. We had to learn a whole new language to accommodate you."

Eri looked at Francesco. He looked distraught. Obviously he didn't agree their parents' assessment. But enough had been said to ruin the mood.

"Do any of the accomplishments I've accumulated mean anything? Do you even care that I've become a successful surgeon? Or does my hearing loss impair me in that aspect as well?" she asked.

"Who ever heard of a surgeon who couldn't hear?" Hyun Won asked.

Eri licked her lips as she fought the sudden tears that threatened to spill over. She couldn't remember the last time she cried, but it definitely wasn't in front of her family. Woo Bin dropped her hand just as someone pulled on her arm. She looked up at Jun Pyo then decided it might be a good idea to follow him before he pulled her arm out of socket. Jan Di had her jacket and handed it to her. Ga Eul followed behind them, casting very nervous glances over her shoulder.

Ji Hoo, Woo Bin and Yi Jeong sat across from the family and looked very imposing. They'd already heard enough.

"That woman hasn't cried once since we've known her," Yi Jeong said. He looked at Ji Hoo for confirmation. "I've only known her about a month. I've seen her when her face has been puffy, swollen, bruised, and cut. Not once did I see her cry. But in a matter of twenty minutes, you have ripped away everything."

"You were the one driving the car," Ji Hoo chimed in. "What would you have done if those glass shards had pierced her brain and killed her? What would you have done if you had lost both of them? Living with the pain of losing loved ones in traffic accidents is painful. I know. I lost my parents around the same age Eri lost her hearing. It's why I have never, ever told her it was her fault because it wasn't."

"She and Francesco were screaming in the backseat," Hyun Won argued.

"They were children! Children argue in the backseat of the car. You should have paid attention to where you were going! It was your fault the car wrecked and the glass went everywhere. You couldn't decipher that taking your hands off the wheel to scold your child would possibly cause an accident. Blaming your child for your shortcomings is very unbecoming."

"And you," Yi Jeong continued the scolding by turning on Francesca, "I admire your work. I think you are a very talented artist, but your personality has a lot to be desired. A mother should always protect her children. We're from families where the company came first. We've always wondered how regular families worked. Now we've seen the extreme side. A mother who couldn't defend her child and tell her that it wasn't her fault she couldn't hear or talk like the other kids. That's hard for me to wrap my head around."

Ji Hoo wasn't finished with his point. He pulled a piece of paper out of his coat pocket and set it on the table before them. "This is a list of everything that woman has done at the hospital. For the half a year she has been there, we have only lost two patients that have had cardiovascular issues, and the second one was recently. What you call debilitating she calls determination. I have never seen a set of steadier hands. I would trust her with my heart."

Hyun Won was redder than a red light as he looked between the two men who had done most of the talking. They weren't only talking about him, but his wife as well. His eyes settled on the one who hadn't said a word.

"Do you have something to add?" he asked snottily.

Woo Bin had been patient, letting his friends talk in his place because he was certain he would lose his temper like he never really had before this last month. But now, he was at that point where he was going to say anything.

"Yes, I do. Have you seen any of the scars Eri carries? Or are you too far gone in your relationship that you don't even see the physical and emotional scars? Because I have. I have seen the scars she carries. I've watched her try to get her emotions across or sit emotionless because she doesn't know what to do or how to act or what to say."

Hyun Won latched on to one tidbit. "You've seen my daughter naked?"

And Casanova wasn't backing down. "Yes, I have because someone needed to help her when she couldn't stand up in the shower."

"All right." Yi Jeong put a stop to any further arguments. "We're not getting anywhere with this. As of right now, don't come near Eri. One of us will always be with her. I don't care if she's your daughter. You obviously don't see her as anything more than a hindrance. We'll take care of her. You're fine for now, Francesco, since we really can't blame much on you."

The brother nodded his head then looked at Woo Bin. "Has she been having nightmares?" The other man glanced at him briefly, but that was all he needed. "Take care of her. She can't be alone when that happens."

Woo Bin stood. "You don't have to worry about that."

He left his friends to wrap things up as he hurried back to Eri's building. He was cooling off but his anger was still boiling under the surface. Walking briskly didn't help it either but it did help him get back faster.

Instead of taking the elevator, he ran up the stairs to burn off some agitation. When he got to her door, he faltered for a second then knocked because he knew the lights would be turned back on. Jun Pyo answered the door and let him in. He kicked off his shoes and went straight into the bedroom.

There was a nice lump in the middle of the bed so he tossed his jacket in the floor and crawled in the bed. Eri was already asleep so he just wrapped himself around her and pulled her head under his chin.


	13. Chapter 13

Woo Bin sat in his usual spot in Hoon's café as he waited for Eri. A few days had passed since the failed dinner and he hadn't been around as much as he wanted. Eri hadn't talked about it and he hadn't asked, so they had gone about their daily lives like they had in the beginning.

Good to his promise, Yi Jeong hadn't left Eri alone. One of them was always with her. Jan Di and Ji Hoo kept an eye on her at work. Yi Jeong and Ga Eul came every few days to take her out to eat or to a movie or something. Even Jun Pyo had come around and spent a few hours with her when no one was available. There were times when everyone else thought he was even more protective than Woo Bin.

Woo Bin on the other hand spent the most amount of time with Eri. The evening of the fight, Francesco had woke him up when he came home. He pulled him into the living room and told him that he was moving into his dad's place. His father had gotten drunk after F4 had told him he was crappy father and that his wife wasn't any better. Francesco wasn't making excuses for his father, but he knew better than anyone what was going to happen so it was better for him to stay with them.

The other man hadn't been angry. He understood Francesco's odd predicament just a little. Being torn between the person you love unconditionally and the people you could hardly stand was like ripping your heart to shreds. Francesco had been the buffer for his sister for nearly twenty years because she hadn't spoken up and had just taken it. Now that F4 was in the mix, he could relinquish the title of protector and focus on being the glue that healed his family.

Francesco had collected his clothing and left his pots and paintings in his room. He didn't ask whether or not Woo Bin would use his room. It was apparent he wasn't because where he had been found. Stopping at the door, Francesco had looked back at him and asked Woo Bin to take care of his sister. That request wasn't lost on him so he had gone back to bed, wrapping himself around Eri once again.

Since then he had essentially moved out of his parents' house and in with her. Jo Hoo had walked in right in the middle of a really funny yelling match. They were arguing about him moving in a couple of days after the fact. Woo Bin was trying to keep from laughing at how they were arguing, but he knew if he did he'd lose. Ji Hoo asked why they were arguing, and Eri said plain as day that she didn't want to share her bed with a giant. Ji Hoo had been able to hold his laughter in while Woo Bin had lost and had to sleep on the couch.

Living with a woman was completely different. He had done it for two weeks but that had been under different circumstances. Now she was completely healed and able to do things on her own. That caused a little bit of strife the first few days. She was used to doing things her own way and here he was right in the middle.

Somehow they made it work. He learned her schedule really well the first few days. Since she couldn't hear, he wondered how she got up and got ready for work so early in the morning. He had set an alarm the first day to get her up, but she beat the alarm by about fifteen minutes. When he woke up, she was in the kitchen making coffee and breakfast. Even now she still amazed him at how she made up for having lost one of her senses.

Hoon stopped by his table with Eri's drink and looked at his watch. "She's a little late isn't she?"

"She said she would be. She had to cover for Dr. Kim because he was going to be late. Ji Hoo will drop her off on his way by. Apparently he's got a date tonight although he doesn't call it that," Woo Bin laughed.

"Are you two dating or something?"

That was a question Woo Bin had considered but didn't know how to broach. Eri wasn't the greatest at showing emotion. Since he'd known her for these six or seven weeks, he had only seen her cry once from stress or emotion. Pain was a different story. He'd seen her cry from her face and abdomen, but even when her father verbally assaulted her, she had kept a straight face and didn't cry.

"Eri's…a tough nut to crack. Even on good days, I can't tell what she's feeling," he finally answered.

Hoon sighed and sat down. "Eri doesn't show any emotion except to the kids. She said it's been so far away from her for so long there's really no need to. I think that's the worst way to live, but she just shrugged at me. But I'm not the one you should ask."

Woo Bin was confused for a moment as Hoon disappeared around the bar for a moment. He came back with a beautiful little girl that wasn't too much older than seven. He sat her down on the booth and sat beside her.

"Hee Jin, this is a friend of Dr. Choi," he said.

The little girl's face lit up. "Eri? You're friends with Eri?" Woo Bin looked at Hoon as the girl forgot all formality. "I like her a lot. She took care of me when I had to have my heart replaced. Daddy said she had the hands of an angel. He would bring her coffee every day as thank you."

He leaned forward and spread his hands wide. "Was she nice to you?"

She nodded, her braids flying wildly about her face. "She was very nice. Every time she had to give me a shot to make sure my heart worked, she told me a funny story. I never felt the pain. When I had to go to sleep, she was right there with me singing to me even though she can't sing. She never let go of my hand. And when I woke up, she was right there with me. Daddy too."

Hoon hugged his daughter close. "My mom and I were working so we couldn't get there in time for Hee Jin's operation. Eri stayed by her side until we could make it. She was asleep in the chair when I walked in. I asked her why she didn't just go home since she was of the clock. She told me after she was a surgeon, she was a human being. That her parents had left her in the hospital alone after surgeries and she couldn't do that to another child. She did the same thing when Hee Jin had to have a stint put in a few months later."

Hee Jin jumped up and ran behind the bar. She returned with an envelope that had already been opened. She handed it to Woo Bin. "This is what she gave me. Read it. Read it."

The child was pushy. Smiling, he pushed open the flap and pulled the folded paper out. He unfolded and read it.

" _Hee Jin,_

 _I hope this finds you well. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, but I was right beside you until your dad arrived. You're doing so well. You're so strong that you're going to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, you won't be able to play any sports because your heart may give out, but there are plenty of other things you can do if you set your mind and heart to it. I leave with you a pad and colored pencils. Try out art. You may be able to become a great artist like my mother and brother. If you don't like art, try something else. Do whatever you want and don't let anyone tell you anything different._

 _Your friend,_

 _Eri."_

"Last time I checked, letters were supposed to be private."

"Eri!" Hee Jin squealed and jumped up, throwing her arms around the woman's waist. Eri pulled her close, fingers twisting the ends of her braid. "Bin has been asking about you. I let him read the letter."

Eri pushed her head back and forth. "It's all right. He's nosy like a cat. Don't let the good looks fool you. He's not dumb."

Woo Bin looked at her. "Are you complimenting me?"

She shook her head. "No, just spouting off nonsense really."

Ji Hoo laughed as Woo Bin's face fell. "How are you, Hee Jin?"

The girl thumped her chest. "Yes. I feel like I could run a race."

Eri rubbed her head. "Let's not do that."

"Why are you late?" Hoon asked like an overprotective father.

"Don't take that tone with me. I had an unexpected patient drop by." Her gaze slid to Ji Hoo and he tucked his bandaged hand in his pocket.

"Well you're late for your coffee date."

Ji Hoo coughed as he noticed Eri's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hee Jin, why don't we go draw and listen to music?"

He took the girl's hand and led her across the café. Hoon hopped up and went back to work, but not before he pushed Eri into the booth. With a satisfied smile, he slipped behind the bar.

Woo Bin noticed that as soon as Eri sat down she sighed and rubbed her eyes. It was something she did when she couldn't think of anything to say. Yi Jeong told him it was because she had never had to tell anyone anything before that she couldn't figure out how to talk. He had gotten adept at deciphering what she wanted to say, but Woo Bin was still learning.

"What did Ji Hoo do?" he asked.

"He got his hand caught in a gurney," she replied. "It bent his wrist back little bit."

She lapsed into silence again, this time staring out the window with the same blank look he was used to. He couldn't read anything that was going on in her mind. And she didn't talk much so it made it hard for him to do or say anything.

So he kicked her under the table. She looked at him then. "What's wrong?" She shook her head and looked out the window again. He kicked her again. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

Still she didn't look at or answer him, but something about that absolutely blank stare unnerved him. It wasn't the usual blank stare. Usually there was some sort of emotion that he could pick out, but this one was truly blank. It was so blank her weird brown eyes seemed dead.

Annoyed and very concerned, he reached across the table to take her hand but she pulled away. "Eri? This really isn't like you."

"They've set the date for Georges' arraignment," she said.

He understood immediately. They hadn't heard anything recently, only that he'd been extradited back to France. The detective had come by once to warn them that paperwork would be sent by mail to her. It seems like it had come sooner than he expected.

"I've got to return to France in two weeks."

After letting that sink in, he nodded. "Is he pleading guilty?"

"His lawyer advised him to since there is enough evidence to convict him for rape, sexual battery and aggravated assault. Whether or not he does is a completely different story. I've already hired a lawyer just in case he pleads not guilty and we have to go to trial."

"Let's hope he doesn't do that." But there was still something missing, something she wasn't telling him. "Is there anything else?"

She stood, leaving the still warm drink on the table. That's when he knew something else was on her mind. "I haven't decided, but I may not return to Korea." And with that she left.

The blow to the heart hurt far more than any blow he had received in martial arts. He looked across the café at his friend. Ji Hoo met him with a steady gaze. So he already knew. Naturally it wasn't Ji Hoo's style to tell someone else's pertinent information but this time a little head's up would have been nice. Being side swiped like this wasn't fun at all. Now he understood how Jan Di felt when Jun Pyo's mother had bragged about his fiancé Tae Kyung.

The table rattled as he got up quickly. She wouldn't have gotten far because she would have taken time to take her hearing aids out and put head phones in. It was busy tonight because of the holidays. People were out shopping for last minute presents. He would be lucky if he found her.

But it didn't take too long. She was at the crosswalk that led to her building waiting for the light to change. The light changed seconds before he got to her and she was across the street. He caught her and pulled her to the side so they weren't run over.

Once again she refused to meet his gaze and stared over his shoulder. She had completely shut down, refusing to let anything escape. He didn't have an inkling of what she was feeling. She was the Eri he had met in the club and not the one he had learned to understand.

He forced her to look at him, look at his mouth so she could hear him. "Why are you doing this? Why decide not to come back to Korea? What's changed in the eight months you've been here that you don't want to come back?"

She blinked and tilted her head, something he had never seen her do. He didn't know if she was processing what he had said or thinking of something else. It was unnerving and set his teeth on edge. His heart stuttered just a little as he thought that this could very well be one of the last moments he had with her.

Tilting her head up, he dropped his until their lips touched. No movement; none to close the gap between them or to pull away. She didn't react at all. So he wrapped one arm around her to draw her into him. It pulled her up on her tiptoes and gave him better access. He felt her hand at his side and thought she was going to embrace him, but it fell away instantly.

She tilted her head away from his, effectively breaking his kiss. He refused to let her go, instead opting to pull her head against his. There were so many emotions swirling around that he knew if he said anything it was going to come out harsher than he meant.

Eri put a hand to his chest and pushed him away. He slid back and she brushed past him. He turned to watch her walk away and came face to face with her father. Realization dawned on him that the man was the reason she hadn't reacted to him when she had in the past. Seeing him always forced her back into reclusion.

"Why are you bothering her?" the older man demanded.

"Because I like her. She's different from any woman I have ever known. She's kind and thoughtful despite being different. She takes care of people in a different way than you would ever know since you never paid attention to her," he spoke harshly.

Hyun Won lifted his hand to strike him, but Woo Bin caught his wrist and squeezed until he was nearly to his knees. "You dare to strike me? Do you know how much damage I could do to your company? What my friends could do? One of my friends is head of Shinhwa Group. He could buy everything out from underneath you and ruin you. Another is a famed potter. He could destroy your wife and son. Do you want that?"

"Leave my daughter alone. She doesn't need a criminal by her side."

Woo Bin would have flinched at the title but he had reconciled with himself a long time ago. "So what my family had ties to the mafia? That doesn't have anything to do with me liking Eri." He shoved the older man away forcefully. "Unless you have something decent to say, don't let me catch you around her. She's had enough of your poison."

He left the man standing there as he headed for Eri's. Before he even got there, his phone chimed with a message. Checking it, he realized it was from Yi Jeong.

" _I have Eri. I caught her as she walked right past her place. She looked distraught so I took her back to my studio. Let me know if you want to come get her."_

Even if he went after her, there was no guarantee she was going to talk to him. If she was with Yi Jeong, she could do something productive to get her frustrations out. Art was part of her family so she could mess with clay or paint or something. Yi Jeong had other forms of art in his studio other than clay. Plus he had the ability to decipher her moods better than Woo Bin.

But a part of him wanted to go get her. They hadn't been apart a night since he had moved in and the thought of being alone messed with his head.

" _It's fine. Do something productive with her to get her worries out. Throw a pot or paint or something. She's worked up right now. I'll get her in the morning."_

It wasn't the answer he wanted to send but it was the only one that would give him some piece of mind. If she was with Yi Jeong he could relax. Nothing was going to happen to her if she was in his studio, and just maybe, Yi Jeong could get down to the bottom of why she would suddenly want to return to France.


	14. Chapter 14

"You know, you should tell me the reason why you're not certain if you'll return to Korea."

Eri looked up at Yi Jeong as she felt his belly rumble. They were lying in his studio floor, her head on his stomach. She had stayed with him all night working on random projects. They were covered in paint and clay and not too inclined to move. It hadn't been too long since they had collapsed on the floor in their current positions.

Since the night they had confronted her father, Yi Jeong had become a constant. He texted her almost every day asking if she wanted to visit his studio and do something or if she wanted to get something to eat. He never asked if she was okay, but it was all implied.

When she had left Woo Bin after seeing her father the night before, he had caught her as she walked right by her house. There was no reason to go home so soon so she had just walked right on by. Yi Jeong had fallen into step with her and followed her straight to nowhere. Then he had steered her in the direction of his studio. There had been no need in arguing so she just went with him.

Yi Jeong recognized the look that told him she wasn't going to answer him. He ran his fingers through her loose hair, something he had taken to doing to let her know he was fed up with her silence. But he didn't push the issue.

The door to his studio chimed and he lifted his head thinking it was Ga Eul. Boy, was he wrong. The woman that stood above him was certainly not his girlfriend, nor was she Ji Hoo's. She looked around briefly then looked down at him, eyebrow skyrocketing as she saw the cozy scene.

"I thought you were with that social reject. Glad to see you're back to your old ways," she said.

He slapped his hand on the floor. "Don't talk about Ga Eul that way, Seo Ka. I've already told you that once. One more time and I won't be so lenient."

The girl sneered a little. "Where's Woo Bin? I need to talk to him."

"Leave him alone. He's already told you the answer. Pissing him off won't make it change."

"I heard he's dating someone. Do you know who it is?"

"Of course I know who my best friend is dating. She's a surgeon and a wonderful person. If he finds out you're looking for her, he won't be too happy."

"That's why he's not going to find out. Tell me where she is."

Yi Jeong's fingers tightened in her hair and Eri looked up at him. Since she had her hearing aids out, she couldn't hear what was being said, but by Yi Jeong's tense muscles, she could tell he was upset. He swiped his finger across her head in a request for her to be quiet. Normally she wouldn't listen, but Yi Jeong didn't have a habit of telling her what to do. She looked up at the woman, focusing on her mouth.

"Look, I just want to tell her to stay away from Woo Bin. She should know that he's already engaged, that his parents set this up. Even if he disagrees with it, he can't go against his parents."

Yi Jeong sat up, pulling Eri against him as he did. His arm tightened painfully around her shoulders, his fingernails digging into her flesh. "He broke that engagement due to outside affair, or did you forget that you told him he wasn't as good as your lover? Let's not forget that it was on your anniversary when you told him you couldn't marry someone from the mafia."

"All that is petty."

"It may be petty, but you said it."

"Do you even know who Woo Bin is?" Eri asked suddenly. She had put her hearing aid in when she realized something was going on. "Do you know what he likes to eat, or how he acts when he has work he has to do but doesn't want to do it? Do you know that he sleeps by the door because he wants to be the first one someone attacks if they break in? Do you know that he will go toe to toe with your father if he thinks he's wronged you?"

"Who is this person, Yi Jeong?"

Eri felt him smile before he pressed his temple to hers. "This is Woo Bin's surgeon. Now please leave."

Seo Ka sneered at Eri before turning on her heel and clicking away. Yi Jeong squeezed her shoulders before standing up. He poured some water into her forgotten glass and nudged it towards her. He sat on a bench as he watched her.

"Do you like Woo Bin that much that you would defend him against a crazy ex?" he asked. She looked at him with a quizzical expression. "It seems like you like him."

"He lives in my house. I have to tolerate him," she replied.

Yi Jeong smiled at the phrasing. He swirled his glass around, watching the water dance. "Are you serious about possibly not returning to Korea after the arraignment?"

She set the glass on the table as she stood. "It's not my home. Ever since I got here, nothing good's happened. The people at the hospital, Georges, my father. It's all been a little too much. I don't have the energy to stay and fight by myself."

"Haven't you figured out that you're not by yourself? F4 doesn't accept people lightly. It took seven years for Jan Di and Jun Pyo, and Ga Eul and myself to be classified as a couple. We had our friends to give us strength when we were apart."

"I don't have friends."

"Then what are Ji Hoo and Jan Di? They accepted you way before the rest of us. And Woo Bin has fallen head over heels for you, so what does that make him. I consider you a friend, so does Ga Eul. Jun Pyo is a different case but I'm sure he feels the same way."

Yi Jeong noticed that she had stopped tracing patterns in the table and was listening fully to what he had to say. He smiled to himself then stood up. He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I understand, Eri. You've never had someone on your side before so you don't know how to express how you feel about them. We're all here, your first real set of friends. We don't abandon each other when things get tough and we don't look down on each other because one of us can't hear. We accept each other's shortcomings and differences because we can't live without each other." He turned her around to take her face in his hands. "No matter what you decide, we'll be behind you, but understand that if you don't come back, Woo Bin will be hurt."

As they cleaned up, Eri thought over everything he had said. To finally have friends seemed more like a burden than a relief. Now she had to worry about offending them. Would everyone else understand her deficiencies with emotions as Ji Hoo and Yi Jeong had.

Yi Jeong read her thoughts as if he were in her head. He handed her coat to her and waited until she was ready before escorting her out of the studio. He hailed a cab and put her in the backseat, telling the driver where to take them when he shut the door.

His plan was to shop for something that would surprise the hell out of his friend and finally get him to admit how he really feels for the woman beside him. Woo Bin had been very agitated lately, ever since he had met Eri actually. He had been in love only once and that had gone horribly wrong. Now they all wanted to keep it from happening again.

When the cab stopped, he paid the fare and escorted her into a store. He talked to the clerk and explained their situation. He made sure she understood that Eri couldn't hear and that if she got irritated with her for not listening, he would tell everyone he knew not to shop there anymore. The woman listened immediately. She took Eri into the back, much to the other woman's concern.

After an extensive battle – and it was a battle because Eri came out of the dressing room three times – Yi Jeong was finally able to pull a few outfits and send them to the dressing room. He wanted to wring her neck but she wasn't used to someone doing stuff like this. Food was one thing but clothing was a complete different story.

The first outfit didn't fit her well so he sent her back for the next one. That one too didn't work so she went back again. Yi Jeong was fiddling with his phone when she came out in the last outfit. He looked up and his mouth dropped. The dress was light blue with gold trim that highlighted her eyes. The woman had put a light tan slouchy hat on her head that matched the trim on the dress. She was wearing a pair of low heels but they were enough to make her taller than Yi Jeong. The woman had braided her hair loosely and tossed it over one shoulder.

Eri felt awkward as she stood there in the store. She had never dressed this way before and it was a little revealer. The skirt was too short for her taste. She looked at Yi Jeong but his face was full of appreciation. The same look Georges had that…

Her knees buckled and she grappled for a hold. The mirror was too smooth so she hit the floor hard. Yi Jeong was there first, grabbing her shaking hands in an effort still them.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Please don't make me wear this," she whispered.

It was the first time he heard her beg. He motioned for the clerk to find something else. He pulled her head against his shoulder and let her shudder. He didn't realize what would happen, but as soon as it did he understood.

The clerk came back quickly with a pair of pants and a shirt. Yi Jeong helped her up and into the dressing room once again. This time he waited outside the door until she was finished. The door opened just a bit and she allowed him in.

"How do you feel?" he wondered. The jeans were dark wash and fit her like a second skin. The shirt was the same color blue as the dress but without the gold. The shoes had been changed to boots that were just a little bit bigger than her calves.

Eri looked at herself in the mirror, and Yi Jeong could see the tension melting form her shoulders. She was so much more comfortable in pants than in skirts. He filed that away for later when Woo Bin asked for her preferences.

"I like this," she said after a little bit.

Yi Jeong nodded and handed the woman his card. He didn't leave Eri alone in the dressing room because he was afraid something would happen. His card was returned to him and he escorted her from the room.

Instead of taking a cab, they walked down the sidewalk casually, but there were so many people around that they were getting jostled. Yi Jeong took her hand and linked it through his arm to keep her close to him. People shopping were always the worst at paying attention to who was where and what was around them.

"Where are we going?" she asked a little ways into their walk.

"Since we've been out of school, we always meet a week or so before Christmas to have dinner together. We planned tonight before we all met you. It's kind of a classy affair at the best restaurant in Seoul. Jun Pyo cannot be denied."

Eri disappeared into her thoughts. A Christmas dinner with friends sounded fun but if Woo Bin brought up France again, she was going to leave. She didn't want to think about it. But she also knew that three of them knew. Ji Hoo hadn't asked about it since she had told him, Yi Jeong had asked briefly, but Woo Bin had been the one to take it drastically. She didn't know what to do about it, so if he brought it up, she would just leave.

They walked into a restaurant and waited for the maître d to show them to their table. It was already packed with everyone else so they took the seats that were open. Eri sat beside Ji Hoo and across from Woo Bin.

Woo Bin nearly fell out of his seat as Yi Jeong escorted Eri in. He had never seen those jeans before or that top. Yi Jeong must have taken her out before coming that was the only explanation. As she sat down, he noticed her hands shook ever so slightly. Ji Hoo had as well as he reached over and took her hand. He squeezed it once and smiled gently.

Dinner was served by a cute waiter who tried to hit on her. As he was passing by, Ji Hoo caught his sleeve and asked him nicely if he would cut it out before they got him fired. Nervous about his job, the young man apologized and went on his way.

It was a four course dinner, but Eri wasn't very hungry. She picked at her food most of the time, not even eating the roast duck with lemon butter sauce. Normally she would have gotten up by now, but she had already promised Yi Jeong she wouldn't.

"Eri," Ji Hoo said, "are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm just not hungry."

He didn't look convinced but it really didn't matter to her. She wasn't going to eat. Not even the sweet dessert that was set in front of her looked appetizing and it was chocolate cake. She watched them eat it without any problems but she couldn't force herself to eat.

When dinner was finished there were talks about going dancing but that was shot down immediately. Woo Bin could tell Eri wasn't up to doing much that evening. Her mind was elsewhere and being near people she didn't know wasn't a good idea.

They opted for an arcade. As soon as they walked up to it, Eri flinched and pulled at her hearing aids. She tucked them in their case and sighed as everything settled down. Jan Di asked if she was all right. She nodded even though she didn't look it.

That didn't last long as Jun Pyo lost four games in a row and lost his temper. He stormed out with Jan Di following closely behind him. The rest of them went for a walk until Ga Eul broke her heel. Yi Jeong led her home after that. The three left decided that it would better for them to go home.

They rode silently in the elevator. Eri stood in front of the guys and waited for the doors to open. She stepped out first and hurried to her door, punching in the code quickly. Woo Bin had to hurry to get the door and let himself in. He said a quick goodbye to Ji Hoo and waited for his friend to go in before closing the door.

"Eri, is everything all right," he asked when she faced him.

She nodded as she pulled her shirt over her head without second thought. He was face to face with that white scar that haunted his dreams. He grabbed her wrist and dropped to his knees in front of her. She stared down at her, not quite sure what he was doing until he pressed his mouth to the scar.

"I should have killed him," he muttered to himself. He brought his hands up until they held her right under her bra. His thumbs smoothed over the raised white line.

Gently, Eri pushed his hands away and stepped back. Woo Bin caught her hand and pulled her towards him as he stood. He pressed his face into her neck and inhaled deeply. Clay and paint and whatever scent she used assaulted his nose. He didn't ask permission as he kissed her behind her ear, along her jaw and finally kissed her mouth. She pushed against him, but he was tired of being pushed away. He used one hand to steady her head as he kissed her and the other to pull her against him.

When he pulled back, he ran his thumb along her cheek as he watched her face. "I'm done waiting for you to make the first move."

He closed the distance again, but this time he leaned down and picked her up. Firmly cementing their mouths together, he dropped her to the bed, his body covering hers instantly.

Woo Bin woke the next morning to sun streaming through the window. He stretched like a languid cat then reached across the bed only to find it empty. He sat up immediately and looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. All the drawers were closed and everything was in order.

He got up, pulled on pants, and walked into the kitchen. Normally coffee would be ready and smelling up the place but it was empty. He scratched his head as he looked around the quiet empty house. He went to grab his phone and found a piece of white paper folded up on his computer. He picked it up and unfolded it.

" _Woo Bin,_

 _I'm sorry for leaving like this, but I didn't have any other way. If I had told you when I was leaving you would have wanted to come. Thank you for defending me against everything that came my way. You didn't have to do any of it but you did. But most of all, thank you for being my friend…"_

"Idiot," he muttered, "I didn't want to be your friend."

" _If it hadn't been for you and your brothers in F4, I wouldn't have made it through any of this. I would have retreated into silence. Thank you for everything._

 _Eri."_

Woo Bin tossed the paper on to the desk again and ran his hand through his hair. Why did every woman leave him? He used his thumb to wipe away the tear as it slid down his cheek.


	15. Chapter 15

Yi Jeong waited patiently, checking his watch for the final time. He hadn't told anyone where he was going, not even Ga Eul though she nagged. It wasn't up to him for everyone to know. He was just happy he was the first.

A month and a half had passed since the fateful morning Woo Bin had discovered the note on the desk. No one had known Eri was leaving, not even Ji Hoo who always knew everything she was doing. They had tried to call her a few hours later, but she hadn't answered. They did the calculations and found out it took twelve hours to fly to France.

But as the days dragged on, she never called. They waited to her something about the arraignment, but no word ever came. After a week or so they gave up trying. If someone didn't want to talk about something, they were going to.

Woo Bin had been heartbroken like everyone knew he would. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he had fallen desperately and passionately in love with Eri. They didn't know how she felt because she wasn't used to showing her emotions. But Yi Jeong knew how she felt about him. She wouldn't have defended him against Seo Ka if she didn't.

Yi Jeong had been pleasantly surprised when he had gotten a phone call from Eri a couple of days ago. She had told him what had happened and why she hadn't called. The truth was she had lost her phone on the plane and it had taken a few weeks to get it back. After that court sessions had started and she'd been busy.

He hadn't cared that everything had gone downhill; she had called him to say she was going to be returning to Korea for a brief time. She didn't want him telling anyone. His counter had been that he had to be the one to pick her up at the airport. She didn't seem to mind and told him the day she would be arriving.

So he'd planned. He'd booked a room the day before so she would have a place to stay and rest until she met with everyone else. He had planned everything so it would be a controlled environment when everyone saw each other. He didn't want anyone getting hurt.

He vaguely heard the call that the flight from France to South Korea had arrived and would be disembarking in ten minutes. He walked over to the gate and waited. People started to filter out of the terminal looking for loved ones. Yi Jeong waited until he saw the curly head he'd been waiting for. He walked over and immediately took Eri's bags.

"How was your flight?" He realized he wasn't facing her so she had no idea what he was saying. He stopped and turned her towards him. "How was your flight?"

She smiled and signed one word. "Long."

He laughed at her brief explanation then led her out to his car. He stowed her bags in the trunk and climbed in the driver's seat. She was out before he even started the car. He went carefully to the hotel, making sure he didn't disturb his passenger. When he pulled under the overhang, he declined tossing the keys to the valet. He walked around to Eri's side and pulled the door open. He unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her from the car. Then he tossed the keys to the valet with instructions to have the bags brought up.

He walked right by the front desk and to the elevator. Eri couldn't hear the noise of the hotel as she was wearing her headphones. He was glad for that because the hotel was noisy due to the holidays.

He stepped off on the eighth floor and went left to the very end of the hall. He swiped his card at the very end of the hall and opened the door. He walked straight over to the bed and carefully laid Eri down. After taking off her shoes, he covered her up. She rolled over on her side instantly and was gone. Yi Jeong had a few hours to kill before he had to get her ready so he grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV.

Eri woke up in a warm bed. The last thing she remembered was the airplane. She sucked in a deep breath then remembered what had happened. Yi Jeong had picked her up at the airport. She must have fallen asleep in the car and he carried her up to the room.

She rolled over and sure enough he was sitting on the couch watching TV. He didn't seem to notice that she was awake so she stayed still just so she could watch him. He hadn't really changed in the month and a half she was gone. He was dressed like he would be going to out to eat, which was probably what he wanted to do after she got cleaned up.

She had missed everyone when she was in France, but after she had lost her phone, there hadn't been a way to get a hold of them. Francesco had come home and helped her through the court process and had asked about everyone. When he had found out that she didn't have her phone, he volunteered to let her use his. She had declined because she knew the second she called, one of them would have flown out to France. Yi Jeong had confirmed that when she had called a few days ago to tell him she would be returning. She had barely been able to handle the courts. What would she have done with four irate men?

The way she left hadn't been the best. Ji Hoo's text messages had been angry ones when she had gotten them. Everyone's hadn't been very kind, but she hadn't gotten any from Woo Bin, only a phone call asking her to call him when she got it. She never had. A part of her felt bad about that, but the other part said it was for the best.

"Would you like a snack?"

Yi Jeong's face shocked her into reality. He was standing over her looking down at her. She held back the urge to hit him. Instead she sat up and reached for her bag. Pulling out her hearing aids, she watched Yi Jeong do whatever he had just asked her. She realized he was slicing fruit.

"Not citrus. I'm allergic to it," she advised.

"Thanks for the head's up." He continued what he was doing after putting the orange back in the basket. "We're going to dinner with everyone else. I hope you brought something decent."

"You're not going to take me shopping again if I didn't are you?"

He laughed. "No, but I will whip you." He looked over his shoulder with a playful glint. That was when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at it. He put it on speaker as he handed the sliced apple to Eri. "Ga Eul, what is it?"

"I heard you were at a hotel with another woman. Are you cheating on me?" she demanded. They could hear she was near tears.

Eri held back and laugh. She knew Yi Jeong's history, but she also knew there was no way he would hit on her. He looked at her then held his finger to his mouth. "Ga Eul, do you really think I'd do that to you? After all we've been through?"

"No, but who is she?"

"Do you trust me?"

Ga Eul paused at his question. "Yes."

"Then trust me. I'm not doing anything that would hurt you."

They said a few more words before he hung up. He urged her to change her clothes and get ready for the evening. She was still munching on the apples as she rummaged through her bag for clothes. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Shoving the apple slice in her mouth, she slid her finger across the screen.

" _Please at least tell me you're all right."_ She could hear Woo Bin's voice pleading through the message.

Eri put the phone on the bed as she grabbed her clothes and changed. There was no point in answering when she was going to see him shortly anyway. She changed in the bathroom because no matter how long ago it was she was still self-conscious about the scar on her torso.

Yi Jeong was waiting on her when she walked out. He looked her up and down, happy at her outfit. It might not be as snazzy as his, but at least it was somewhat decent. The pants didn't have holes in them.

He took her bag and led her out of the room. They walked down the hallway in silence. Yi Jeong could feel the anxiety rippling off her as they entered the elevator. She watched the numbers tick down and one of her foot bounced. He grabbed her hand and instantly she stilled. She took a deep breath then blew it out slowly just as the elevator doors opened. They stepped out together and headed for the car.

Eri changed completely in the car when Yi Jeong turned the radio on. Some random song played and she turned it up. She listened very carefully, hands keeping rhythm with the beat. Yi Jeong watched as she felt the beat tried to hear the lyrics.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"Super Junior. It's their new song "Mamacita". I thought you couldn't hear music."

"I can't without my hearing aids. I can feel it. I felt the trumpet and drums first that's why I turned it up. I wanted to hear the lyrics."

Impressed, he continued down the street. He pulled into a spot right in front of a restaurant and shut off the car. He got out and walked around the car to open the door for her.

"Stay behind me. Since I'm taller no one will see you," he said. He had already sent a text to Ji Hoo to ask if everyone was gathered.

Eri nodded and followed behind him, dogging his every step. Yi Jeong slid by the serving staff and manager with a nod. The closer they got, the more nervous Eri got. She eventually grabbed hold of Yi Jeong's jacket. He glanced over his shoulder briefly to make sure everything was okay then face forward again.

He got to a door and stopped. Eri rested her head against his back as he paused. She felt him turn at the waist and pinched him a little in warning not to look at her. His chest rumbled as he muttered under his breath then she heard the doors slide open.

"So Yi Jeong!" Jun Pyo called. "You're late!"

"I already told Ji Hoo I was going to be late. Besides, you shouldn't yell at me too much. I come bearing gifts." He said.

Since when was she a gift? He nudged her foot in warning seconds before he shoved the doors open further and stepped aside. She didn't look up even after she heard the chairs clatter as they moved backwards.

She knew the scent before she saw the face. How many times had Ji Hoo embraced her like that in the past? She had missed those strong arms that kept her safe from the evilness of work. Ji Hoo stepped back and held her face immediately, eyes roving everywhere as thumbs traced the scars.

"I hate you," he said. First thing he said actually. Then he turned sideways. "Woo Bin, get up or you're going to miss this."

Ji Hoo stepped to the side to give her a good view. Woo Bin was facing away from her and he didn't move, didn't even register that he was being spoken to. She felt bad for him since she had left him, especially after that night.

She moved forward as everyone got really quiet. Silence was her best friend, had been for almost twenty-one years. She walked up to him and covered his ears. He jumped at the sudden contact and she knew she had his attention.

Woo Bin had heard Ji Hoo call to him, but he really didn't care. He was staring at his phone waiting for the message that he knew wasn't going to come. Why hadn't he got on the next flight out of South Korea for France? He would have arrived a few hours after her.

He was surprised when the hands covered his ears. He hadn't touched anyone in a month and a half for fear of forgetting Eri's touch. She hadn't touched him much but he had touched her plenty.

"If you keep thinking that much, your brain is going to hurt."

His heart stopped as his breath hitched in his chest. The hands on his ears fell away and someone came into his peripheral vision. He stared as the one woman he had wanted to see sat on the table in front of him. He saw that emotionless face and all the frustrations and agitations went away.

In one smooth motion, he stood and pulled Eri to him, his mouth crashing into hers so hard his teeth rattled. It was the first time he had kissed her in front of everyone and he really didn't care. He was just happy to see her again.

When he was breathless he pulled back and looked down at her. "Don't ever leave like that again. Don't go where I can't follow."

For the first time since he had known her, a genuine smile spread across her face. It light up her eyes and made the scars around the right side of her mouth disappear.

He took her hand in his and pulled her. "Get off the table. We're supposed to eat there." Then he turned on his friend. "Yi Jeong, I'm going to kill you. Why didn't you tell me you were talking to her?"

Yi Jeong sat across from him. "I hadn't been. She lost her phone on the plane. She texted me three days ago saying she was coming and to keep it quiet from the rest of you. So to keep from anyone finding out, I booked a hotel room for a few hours so she could sleep off the jetlag before she saw everyone."

Ga Eul slapped his arm playfully. "She's who you were with."

Yi Jeong nodded. "Eri, what's this look?"

Eri looked up at the six faces surrounding her. She searched for the right words. Woo Bin squeezed her hand in silent support. She stared at the table for a few moments.

"For the first time in a long time," she said then looked up, "I'm happy."

Everyone smiled then lapsed into comfortable conversation. Woo Bin laced his fingers with Eri's then brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it in silent salute.

THE END


End file.
